Siren
by IsaydenGirl16
Summary: When rising singer Cheyenne and her band get a gig in Volterra, she didn't expect to get mixed up with vampires, much less the Volturi's precious Alec. When he begins to be drawn to her, will she join them, or will he join her? She was his siren. And his singer. Slight OOC Felix and Demetri.
1. Chapter 1

"Ha! Ha ha ha ha haaaaaah!" I mockingly laughed while finishing my solo on Guitar Hero against my brother. "In yo' face!" I continued to sit on my knees while finishing the rest of Everlong.

"Eeeeh, I went easy on you," Travis said, focusing on the screen but not quite upset about the challenge. "Star Powaaaa!" He jerked the plastic guitar to the side.

I sang along with the words while trying to keep a streak and it was easy, considering I've been playing guitar for eleven years. Expert was practically nothing to me, but Guitar Hero was fun nonetheless; especially when you play it with your brother while on a tour bus to Italy. I was only nineteen and my brother twenty one, but I had a career of sorts going for me. I had gotten noticed by an agent for a record company when I used to play little gigs at restaurants in my home town, Ardmore, Oklahoma. During my high school years, I would sing at Ten Star Pizza and Two Frogs Grill for a little bit of cash (not that I cared much about the cash because I loved to sing and play) and it was my senior year in which the agent noticed me and said I would make a big hit.

 _"I think people are gonna like you," he said while dialing a number on his iPhone 6 and putting it to his ear. He had pulled me aside and told me all about his company and how much money I could make and blah blah. What is it with money? I just like to sing. I internally shrugged._

 _"Yeah, she's right here, and she's great. She could play a gig and..." He paused, listening to the person on the other end. I could faintly hear the voice. He must have his volume turned up loud. It sounded like a woman; very professional. I cast my gaze over to the makeshift stage where Travis and my bass player David were moving all the instruments and amps back to the van in and out of the restaurant._

 _"Who is that?" Travis mouthed to me, holding an amp in his hand. He glanced at the guy, Robert, I think his name was._

 _"Agent," I mouthed back._

 _"All right, I'll book the flight as soon as possible. Yes, Kelly, I won't forget first class. Oookay. Bye now," Robert said, clearly used to her usual banterings and hung up. "So, kid. How about it?" he said._

 _I turned to him again. "How about what, sir?" I asked politely._

 _"You want a gig? Free plane ride, free transportation. Lots of sightseeing, lots of cash. Only if you're interested," he offered, thinking I would be buttered up with the free stuff. I blinked._

 _"Um...where would I travel to? I'm still in school. It's only January," I said. "I'd like to finish school first."_

 _Robert seemed a little perturbed by that, but if it showed, he didn't let it. He rubbed the goatee on his chin and looked up at the ceiling with his brown eyes._

 _"All right, how about this: you finish school this year, graduate, all that stuff. Then come September, you go on the road with your band. In Italy. That sound good? Kelly is itching to see you for herself. Hear your sound, hear your band," he said gruffly. I looked to Travis._

 _"Wanna go to Italy?" I asked with a little smile._

And that is why we are currently riding in a tour bus to Volterra, Italy, playing Guitar Hero. Travis had agreed and David replied with, "I'm game!".

When I was fifteen, our dad had died of cancer. It was hard for us because he was the parent who took care of us our whole lives. He was quiet and serious, but boy was he smart. He was good in all subjects of school and president of his Spanish club. That's probably why I had a 99.7 average in my Spanish class in high school. My parents had divorced when I was almost two and I never got to see my mom much. She lived in Ardmore too, but at one point, she had stayed in Louisiana with her friend for a year and then moved back. My parents were total opposites when they met back in the 1980's. I never got the full story on how they met, but my mom was born and raised a Vegas chick, and my dad was raised in Ardmore by my Catholic grandparents. Can you see why the marriage didn't work?

My mom would always say that they still loved each other, but that they just didn't agree on things. She's a free spirit and he was an introvert. She loves country and he loved classic music. She's loud and he was quiet. She's lenient, he was strict (and got mad easily). That's why my brother and I act like old souls. But they both smoked. My dad was 59 when he died. So, instead of wallowing, my brother and I decided to turn to singing and music. Travis played drums during high school and also plays guitar and piano. I let him be my drummer. I was in band during high school and played clarinet, but I also played guitar and piano on the side. I would always be singing Eagles songs because we were raised on classic music. They're my favorite classic band. Ever. I might also think that Don Henley has the voice of an angel. My brother and I are also into today's bands though. Y'know: Linkin Park, Breaking Benjamin, Paramore, Rise Against. I also have my girly side with my likes of Taylor Swift, Ellie Goulding, and Selena Gomez. I'm very picky about music, whereas my brother is just whatever about it. As long as he can drum to it, I guess he likes it.

We finished the song and went back through the list of songs.

"What song now?" I asked, looking to my brother, who was plucking the plastic guitar bar through the list. He had gotten the tall gene from my grandpa on our dad's side. He stood at 6'5" with my mom's hazel sloped eyes and my dad's dark hair, which he kept short to the top of his forehead. He used to spike it in high school, but then he stopped once he hit twenty one. My dad's side was Native American and Irish, while my mom's was Puerto Rican, Spanish, Greek, and Ukranian. Needless to say, we all looked more Puerto Rican and Spanish than anything. My brother's skin had the slightest olive tone to it, while I was pale. I never got that much sun, but you could still tell my skin had an olive undertone. **(A/N: I'll put a link for me and Travis on my profile.)**

While he was all olivey, I was paley and I was born with green eyes from my mom's side with a blue mix from my grandma, my dad's mom. She was Irish, so I guess the recessive trait came out to me. I had my dad's round/football shaped **eyes (A/N: Father link on profile)** and my mom's Puerto Rican, almost-bronze hair. I had a minuscule red tint to my hair that you could only see in the sunlight and the length fell all the way to my ribs. I got the "medium height" like my dad and stood at 5'7" and a half. I was taller than most of my friends in high school.

"Hold on," he said, trying to pick a song. I moved back onto the long L-shaped leather couch and looked at the list as he went down.

"What about Misery Business? Or Hotel California?" I asked, pointing at the screen as the names passed by. Just as he picked it though, the speaker set up at the back of the buss emitted David's voice.

"Guys, we're coming up on Volterra. Might wanna start getting ready for the show. We have about half an hour left until we reach the city. And don't eat my Doritos again, Travis!" he yelled the last part with half-hearted anger and clicked the walkie-talkie back on its stand.

"Sorryyyy!" my brother yelled, throwing his head back and putting the plastic guitar up against the couch. He stood and stretched. My brother was a bottomless pit when it came to food. When grandma spoiled us, he stayed a stick while I was the fat kid. Good thing I took care of myself now though. I lost a lot of weight after my dad died and decided to tone myself up. I did the same with my guitar and stood up too.

"I'm getting ready," I said, going through the curtain to the little bathroom this bus had and grabbed my makeup bag. Since we would be in a nightclub, I was pretty sure there wouldn't be much light. I unzipped the bag and fished through it, retrieving two kinds of mascara, a crease brush, an angled brush, an Elf Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick, and an Elf Waterproof Eyeliner Pen. While some of my free time was spent playing Guitar Hero with my brother and practicing our songs, the other part of my time was spent practicing makeup on YouTube. I liked experimenting with it.

I took out my BH Cosmetics Matte Eyeshadow pallet and did a natural look on my eyes, only putting it on my crease. After that, I applied my eyeliner in a thin line across my top lid, my two mascaras (after numerous coats) and then the lip gloss stick. I don't know why they called it that, because it wasn't lip gloss at all. It was lipstick! I hated lip gloss.

I had curled my hair earlier so I didn't have to worry about doing it later. Once I was finished, I came out of the curtain and my brother was tuning my guitar. We liked to stay in our gig clothes prior to, because my brother had been a Boy Scout and their motto is, "Always be prepared." I sat down on the couch across from Travis.

"Can we practice one more time?" I asked, watching him tune. He was turning the knob at the top of the neck, tilting his head next to it.

"Yeaaaaah, hold on. Got it," he said. "Okay, here." He handed me the guitar. I took it and positioned it on my lap, playing the beginning of the last song we were to perform.

The song I would be dedicating to my dad. We always did that at the end of each gig. He was the reason we were even together in this little band.

I wouldn't be playing it on guitar, but my keyboard was packed away in the trailer, so this would have to do. Travis drummed on his thighs while I sang and strummed. Soon, we could hear David belting out the lyrics from the curtain leading to the driver's section, purposely off-key. He was always a goof ball. He didn't do so well with serious, which is why the three of us were so hilarious.

As I got to the second verse, I looked out the window and saw a beautiful blue sky reflecting the tan cobblestone of Volterra, Italy.

We were here.

 **So, here's the first chapter. Sorry if it's not good or anything. This is my second story (if you remember The Only Exception in the Immortals Series by Alyson Noel section of FanFiction, which I deleted). But I'm writing again! I just decided to do something different. But if you have read The Only Exception, then I must tell you that I will be sneaking some of my characters from that story into this one! I'll be updating as much as I can, annnnd yeah. I hope you liked this!**


	2. Gotta Stay High

**Alec POV (My first attempt at it. Sorry if it's bad!)**

"Come on, Alec," Felix said, tossing some clothes at me. "We're going out. It's club night!" He grinned. I rolled my eyes and caught the clothing. A red T-shirt and some jeans.

"Get out," I snapped, swooping my Volturi cape off. "I'm coming."

"You know you love club night. What's gone up your butt and died?" Felix said, rolling his eyes as well, but grinning again. "Are we having troubles with-"

His mocking was cut off by me hurling my coffee table in his direction. He flashed out of the way in a blur, shutting the door.

"Fiiiine, be that way! But you have five minutes or Jane's coming up there herself! She's cranky from not feeding!" He called, descending down the hall. I huffed and proceeded to put the dreaded human clothing on. I absolutely hated jeans. They weren't comfortable, but neither were the contacts we had to wear. But if disguising ourselves as dreaded humans got us food, I was happy.

"As if I need that much time," I muttered to myself, fully clothed and inserting the blue contacts that irritated me to no end.

The whole car ride, Felix and Demetri wouldn't stop fighting over the radio dial. What does it freaking matter what music was on? We didn't know any of the stupid pop songs that those stupid adolescents called music. Who sings about themselves being "sexy and knowing it" and about break ups with boys? I scoffed. Humans.

"I want Taylor Swift, damn it!" Felix argued with him, turning it back to the previous station. He started moving in a dancing fashion, singing higher to match the singer's autotuned pitch.

"So it's gonna be foreva! Or it's gonna go down in flames! You can tell me when it's over, mm, if the high was worth the pa-yeen," Felix sung along, closing his eyes and snapping his fingers. Demetri shook his head.

"You're pathetic, Felix. Taylor Swift wouldn't even spit in your direction," he replied, turning the dial to a country station.

"I dug my key into the side of his pretty little 'suped up four-wheel drive. Carved my name into his leather seeaaaaats!" Demetri sang, eyes closed and pretending to hold a microphone and match the intensity of the woman country singer.

"Carrie Underwood?! She's not even your type!" Felix argued back in disbelief, staring at Demetri. He slapped Demetri upside the head.

"Would you two idiots stop being so mundane?" Jane said calmly, but lethally from the passenger's seat beside me. I smiled and loosened my grip on the steering wheel. I loved my sister and her ability to inflict pain upon others. And if she just so happened to hurt them both, it wouldn't bother me one bit, even if they were my friends. They both knew how threatening she was, and pouted in the back seat.

"I'm changing the station when we ride back," Felix muttered, his arms crossed, staring out the window. Demetri scoffed.

"Yes, we'll see. Touch the dial and I'll bribe Alec into making you touch nothing for a month," Demetri said, in the same position. I smirked.

"I could do that," I said, parking the car and cutting the engine. As we exited, Felix inhaled deeply.

"Ahhh, fresh humans," he grinned. "My favorite. Let's go!" He sauntered up the entrance. I followed suit, but stopping when I smelled a scent. A strong scent. The smell of roses and mint shot up my nose, increasing the dry, scorched burning in my throat. I could feel the venom dissolving the edges of my contacts already.

I pushed through the crowd of glistening, sweaty humans to find myself a good human to drink. The roses and mint were still strongly in my nose, but I shook it off. I'm never going this long without feeding again. I saw Jane dancing already with some blonde guy who obviously liked her curves. I growled lowly. I hated any boy getting close to my beloved twin sister, but I knew she could take care of herself and that he was only food to her. I spotted Felix and Demetri charming some girls over by the bar. I sniffed the air again and found myself a nice brunette with blond streaks in her hair. I sauntered over to her and tapped her shoulder. She turned to me with a drink in her hand, dancing to the rap song that was playing overhead.

"Hi," she said, trying to sound seductive. "Wanna dance?" She was already edging closer to me.

"That's what I came here for," I smiled back charmingly, lying through my teeth. Humans are so naive. I hated their way of dancing, but I joined her. The music stopped all of a sudden though and the lights were focused on a makeshift stage at the front of the dance floor.

"What the f-" the girl dancing with me said, looking toward the stage. "Where's the music?!" Everybody seemed to be making a big deal out of it. Not that I cared. I could distract the human just as easily now.

"Ladies and gents. Boys and girls. It's my pleasure to introduce you to your live entertainment tonight. All the way from Oklahoma USA, please welcome Cheyenne Hamm!" The guy from the DJ station announced. Everybody clapped confusedly. I turned my eyes out of pure curiosity to the stage and was hit with that same rose and mint smell.

The smell was coming from the performer.

My throat was engulfed in flames.

"Hey. I'm Cheyenne and..this is my brother Travis and our friend David. We're gonna sing for you tonight," the girl on stage said with a guitar strapped over her shoulder, ready to play. Why was her smell so strong? It took all I had not to drink her in front of everybody. I gripped the brunette, most likely bruising her in the process. She started to struggle in my grasp, but I didn't care.

But it was when the music started and she opened her mouth that I lost myself.

Her voice was like literal angels. So perfect, so clear. She was hitting every note perfectly, seemingly without any struggle. But it wasn't her talent. It was her sound. The way she sang. I couldn't tear my eyes away, no matter how hard I tried. Hell, I couldn't move. All I could see was her. I wanted to go to her. Get closer. I wanted to keep hearing her sing for the rest of my eternal life as if it would fulfill me. I also wanted to kill her. She smelled so strongly, so subtly sweet that I wonder what the blood flowing through her veins would taste like in my mouth.

The contacts in my eyes dissolved when she caught my gaze.

 **So, here is Chapter 2 in Alec's POV. I hope I did an alright job with his point of view. I've gained knowledge of his attitude from reading other FanFictions and so I just decided to go with that. Please R &R and let me know what you think!**

 **What do you think of Alec being paralyzed for once? Eh? Lol**


	3. One of These Nights

When the lights hit me, Travis, and David, I could see everyone's faces. They looked kinda mad that their DJ music had been stopped.

"Hey. I'm Cheyenne and..this is my brother Travis and our friend David. We're gonna sing for you tonight," I said a little nervously. I sometimes got shy in front of people, but once I started singing the first song, I was okay. We only covered songs since I was no good at writing my own. I had picked the songs for this gig. I started the vocals and then started to strum.

 _Oh oh_

 _Oh oh_

 _Oh oh_

 _I eat my dinner in the bathtub_

 _Then I go sex clubs_

 _Watching freaky people getting it on_

 _It doesn't make me nervous, if anything, I'm restless_

 _Yeah, I've been around and I've seen it all_

 _I get home, I got the munchies, binge on all my Twinkies_

 _Throw up in the tub, then I go to sleep_

 _And I drank up all my money_

 _Days been kinda lonely_

 _You're gone and I gotta stay high all the time_

 _To keep you off my mind_

 _Oooh-oooh_

 _Oooh-oooh_

 _High, all the time_

 _To keep you off my mind_

 _Oooh-ooh_

 _Oooh-ooh_

 _Spend my days locked in a haze_

 _Tryin'a forget you babe_

 _I fall back down_

 _Gotta stay high all my life_

 _To forget I'm missin' you_

 _Oooh-ooh_

 _Oooh-ooh_

 _Pick up daddies at the playground_

 _How I spend my daytime_

 _Loosen up the frown, make 'em feel alive_

 _Oh, make it fast and greasy_

 _I'm numb and way too easy_

 _You're gone and I gotta stay high all the time_

 _To keep you off my mind_

 _Oooh-ooh_

 _Oooh-ooh_

 _High, all the time_

 _To keep you off my mind_

 _Oooh-ooh_

 _Oooh-ooh_

 _Spend my days locked in a haze_

 _Tryin'a forget you babe, I fall back down_

 _Gotta stay high all my life to forget I'm missin' you_

 _Stayin' in my play pretend_

 _Where the fun ain't got no end_

 _Ohh_

 _Can't go home alone again_

 _Need someone to numb the pain_

 _Ohh_

 _Stayin' in my play pretend_

 _Where the fun ain't got no end_

 _Ohh_

 _Can't go home alone again_

 _Need someone to numb the pain_

By this time, I was into the song and my eyes searched the audience comfortably. Then they landed on a boy who was staring at me. He had a red T-shirt and jeans, but he was extremely pale. His features were straight and perfect, like a statue. He had dark brown hair that was just above his eyebrows. He looked like he was struggling. A girl who was in his grasp was grimacing in what looked like pain. That's when I noticed the short pause after the bridge was over and started singing again, letting my eyes roam over the audience again.

 _You're gone and I gotta stay high_

 _All the time, to keep you off my mind_

 _Oooh-ooh_

 _Oooh-ooh_

 _High, all the time, to keep you off my mind_

 _Ooh-ooh_

 _Ooh-ooh_

 _Spend my days locked in a haze_

 _Tryin'a forget you babe, I fall back down_

 _Gotta stay high all my life to forget I'm missin' you_

 _Oooh-ooh_

 _Oooh-ooh_

 _Oh oh_

Everyone cheered and I internally sighed in relief, glad that they liked it. I looked to Travis and David and mouthed the next song. They nodded and Travis wiped sweat off his brow. I turned back to the microphone, absentmindedly picking my guitar.

"All right, so...now that that depressing song is over..." I chuckled, trying to joke. Some people laughed. Others whistled. "We hope you like this next song. Just sing if you know it." I looked back again and nodded once. I turned back to the audience and David started the smooth 70's interlude while I helped. I grinned and sang after the little introduction, the goosebumps already starting.

 _One of these nights_

 _One of these crazy 'ol nights_

 _We're gonna find out, pretty mama_

 _What turns on your lights_

 _The full moon is calling_

 _Your fever is high_

 _And the wicked wind whispers and moans_

 _You got your demons_

 _And you got desires_

 _Well, I've got a few of my own_

 _Oooooh, someone to be kind to_

 _In between the dark and light_

 _Oooooh, comin' right behind you_

 _Swear I'm gonna find you one of these nights_

 _One of these dreams_

 _One of these lost and lonely dreams, now_

 _We're gonna find one_

 _Oooh, one that really screams_

 _I've been searching for the daughter of the Devil himself_

 _I've been searching for an angel in white_

 _I've been waitin' for a woman who's a little of both_

 _And I can feel her but she's nowhere in sight_

 _Oooh, loneliness will blind you_

 _In between the wrong and the right_

 _Ohh whoa whoa_

 _Ooooh, comin' right behind you_

 _Swear I'm gonna find you one of these nights_

David and I then went into our "Guitar Mode" as we call it and started playing the interlude of the bridge, facing each other and laughing. We even bent to our knees. His straight light brown hair barely flopped in his face and I could see the sweat glistening on his face.

 _One of these nights_

 _Oooh, in between the dark and the light_

 _Comin' right behind you, swear I'm gonna find you_

 _Get you baby, one of these nights_

 _One of these nights_

 _Ooooh-ooh_

 _Ooooh-ooh_

 _One of these nights_

 _I can feel it_

 _I can feel it_

 _One of these nights_

 _Comin' right behind you_

 _Swear I'm gonna find you now_

 _One of these nights_

By this time, everyone was cheering louder than before, whistling and dancing. My eyes roamed the audience, but this time, I noticed that the boy I saw earlier was gone. I turned my attention back to the audience and slightly bowed in thanks.

"Thank you," I chuckled into the mic.

 **Here's chapter 3 and if you were wondering what the songs were (even though you probably all know those two songs):**

 **Habits (Stay High) by Tove Lo**

 **One of These Nights by the Eagles**

 **I'm sorry that it's going kinda slow, but I'm trying to let everyone see her taste in music and such. Annnd yeah. It's important for the story haha. Anyway, review please! :D**


	4. I Hate Her

**APOV**

I couldn't be in there anymore. I don't know how I fought out of it, but I dragged the blonde-streaked brunette with me out the back doors of the club and sucked her dry without hesitation. I could taste the alcohol in her system, but she tasted good nonetheless. Demetri and Felix had just finished their humans as well as Jane. When the brunette was empty, I put her in the pile with the others. I felt better, but I could still smell that girl's damn scent.

"What is it, brother?" Jane asked, putting her hands on my shoulders. "You're distressed." Ah, Jane. She always knew my mood. We really were twins.

"I'm fine, sister," I assured her, flashing her a smile. "The girl I picked was just not as tasty as I was hoping."

The performing human on stage could've cured your thirst though.

I shook the thought out of my head. The scent was burning in my nose, but not as strong now.

"Hey, do you hear that?" Felix said, tilting his head up. "What's that...sound..." He said, his voice drifting. Oh. No. Hell no.

"I hear it," Demetri said, his voice the same dreamy tone. Before I knew it, they followed the sound back into the club. I tried my hardest not to listen, but curse my vampire hearing, I wasn't that lucky.

"Where are you two going? I would like to go home," Jane growled. I couldn't really hear her over the voice of the angel that was singing inside the club. Once I entered, I could see her again. I could see her green eyes, which had a blue undertone and a ring of gold around the pupil. I had never seen a color so unique. I had also never paid attention to eye color before. There was something wrong.

Felix and Demetri were in the middle of the crowd, completely tranced as I had been. They were even singing along to the lyrics and dancing.

"What are they doing?" Jane screeched, livid at their behavior. "I'm going to hurt them both if they don't stop..."

Once again, I couldn't hear her. I could only hear the green-blue eyed girl's voice call to me like a siren. She was absent of her guitar and instead stood with a lone microphone, the sweat glistening on her beautiful naturally made up face. Her brown, almost bronze looking hair was in loose curls and ended just above her ribs. I could see the sweat breaking through her aquamarine colored flowing tank top, which brought out her skin tone. Her outfit seemed to hold a punk edge with the black tights and flat black boots **. (A/N: Link for the boots on profile. I'm kinda picky about clothing and stuff, haha)**

 _I want you to know that it's our time_

 _You and me bleed the same light_

 _I want you to know that I'm all yours_

 _You and me run the same course_

 _I'm slipping down a chain reaction_

 _And here I go, here I go, here I go, go_

 _And once again, I'm yours in fractions_

 _It takes me down, pulls me down, pulls me down low_

 _Honey, it's raining tonight_

 _But storms always have an eye, have an eye_

 _Tell me your cover tonight_

 _Or tell me lies, tell me lies_

 _I want you to know that it's our time_

 _You and me bleed the same light_

 _I want you to know that I'm all yours_

 _You and me, we're the same force_

 _I want you to know that it's our time_

 _You and me bleed the same light_

 _I want you to know that I'm all yours_

 _You and me run the same course_

She nodded her head with the electronic pop interlude and got the crowd to start clapping with her. I didn't know I was clapping too until I heard the sound coming from under me.

 _I want you to know that it's our time_

 _You and me bleed the same light_

 _I'm better under your reflection_

 _But did you know, did you know, did you know, know_

 _That's anybody else that's met ya_

 _It's all the same, all the same, all the same glow_

 _Honey, it's raining tonight_

 _But storms always have an eye, have an eye_

 _Tell me your cover tonight_

 _Or tell me lies, tell me lies_

 _I want you to know that it's our time_

 _You and me bleed the same light_

 _I want you to know that I'm all yours_

 _You and me, we're the same force_

 _I want you to know that it's our time_

 _You and me bleed the same light_

 _I want you to know that I'm all yours_

 _You and me run the same course_

Felix and Demetri were vigorously nodding their heads as if they were head banging and cheering. Jane glared at them and I saw her lips move in one syllable. It was then I realized she used her gift on them to break them out of the trance. They both dropped to the ground and just as they let out a scream, she released them.

"Felix, Demetri, we're leaving now," she growled, and I knew they could hear her even over the loud music. They nodded and we retreated immediately, but I snuck one last look at the girl and glared at her. I hated this girl for doing this to me. For torturing me with her scent and her blood. For putting me under whatever it was she did. I was going to kill her.

I was going to kill her so this madness would stop.

"Brother, are you coming?" Jane asked with the same bite, but held it back for me. I turned to her and followed her out of the club, planning the human's death and my revenge.

"That was strange," Felix said once we were in the car, speeding back to the castle. "I just heard her voice and I couldn't see around me."

"She's got some voice," Demetri added in, in a shocked state of mind. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.

 _I hate her._

"Do you think it was a gift?" Felix countered.

"We should take her to Aro. She could be useful to the Guard," Demetri replied, smiling sinisterly now. I slammed on the brakes.

"Do not speak of her again," I commanded with venom. "Or so help me, I will cut off your senses for months on end."

"Brother," Jane said softly, touching my shoulder. "She is merely an act for the evening. She will be gone within the next day. Felix, drive us home." She commanded at the end. Felix complied and switched seats with me.

They didn't speak of the human for the whole ride back.

Once I was done with her, she would thankfully never speak again herself.

 **Here's Chapter 4. Don't worry, you're about to see the two characters collide! :D will she go to the Volturi? Will she die? Will she be changed? All will be told soon! Here's the song that was sung in this chapter:**

 **I Want You to Know by Zedd ft. Selena Gomez**


	5. I Knew You Were Trouble

**I don't own Twilight or its characters! I only own Cheyenne, Travis, their parents, David, Kelly, and Robert! And this plot.**

 **CPOV**

I sang the last notes of our ending song, the one dedicated to my dad, and listened to the clapping and cheering of the people in the club. My fingers released the piano keys. I heard more whistles and my eyes found the agent, Robert, sitting at the bar with a woman. She had long, wavy black hair that reached the end of her spine. She was dressed in a maroon colored professional suit with a short skirt. She was watching me with a thoughtful expression. Her fair skinned, perfectly made up face had a little smile, almost like Morticia Addams (except without the creepiness). But this woman actually put Morticia to shame. She seemed tall by the look of her long legs, which were crossed. Robert was clapping along with the crowd and grinning as if he was proud of himself for suggesting me.

"Thank you," I said into the mic, and stood up with a little wave to the audience. The DJ who introduced us jumped back onto the stage, speaking into the front mic.

"How was that, huh?" he grinned to everyone, clapping along. "Cheyenne Hamm, everybody. *Rinunciarvi!" He turned to me, giving me one of those handshakes/half hugs that guys do.

"Hey, good job, you're very good," he said, his Italian accent obvious.

"Thank you," I said, smiling back, returning the man hug. He went back to the mic and spoke in Italian to everybody, then jumped off the stage to return to his DJ station. I turned to David and Travis. David's gaze was following the DJ, then he looked at me and his expression softened.

"Don't worry, we'll get your stuff," David smiled, removing his bass from around his shoulder. I could see the sweat print the guitar strap made on his dull orange T-shirt.

"Thanks, man," I smiled back, trying to pretend I didn't see him possibly glare at the DJ and made my way off the little stage to Robert and the tall woman, getting a few compliments and one phone number along the way, which I would not be calling.

"Hey, great job, kid," Robert said once I managed to approach them. He stood up and clapped me on the shoulder roughly. "That was great, you blew 'em away!" I could definitely smell the beer.

"Thanks," I said awkwardly. I looked to the woman, who looked even prettier up close. Her makeup made her skin look poreless and smooth. Her eyebrows were perfectly arched and equally black with her hair. And they weren't even drawn in! None of her lashes stuck together and her emerald eyes were lined ebony with no sight of eyeshadow except for a deep brown in the crease. Her lips were painted red and not a spot out of place. She looked to be in her mid-20's **. (A/N: Haha, anybody notice this character from my previous story? ;) )**

"It's kinda loud in here, let's take it outside," Robert said over the music. Everybody was back to dancing all over each other. I agreed, and the three of us exited through the front door of the club, stopping at the curb to get far away enough from the sound.

"You were magnificent," she spoke to me, giving me a smile that showed her perfect white teeth. Her voice was mature, but still young. When she stood to shake my hand, she towered over both me and Robert, ending at 5'11". Maybe that's because she was wearing heels, but still. Robert was maybe 5'9".

"Didn't I tell ya? She's great!" he said enthusiastically. "Cheyenne, this is Kelly Jones, the head of Summer Records. She's been waiting to hear you since January."

I shook her hand and smiled back at her.

"Nice to meet you," I said politely. Our hands released and her grin seemed to stay.

"Yes, and now that I have, I must say it was worth the wait. Not even Miss Ariana Grande was as talented as you are when I signed her," she said smoothly.

"Oh. Well, thanks," I replied, not really knowing how to react to that. I've never been compared to other singers. Well, I have, but I never compared myself to anybody else. There was no point. It didn't matter to me.

"Yep, and we'd like to offer you a prestigious record deal. More gigs, more traveling. And the more success, the more you make. Free hotel stays, free gas, everything would be paid for," Robert said in a rush, motioning with his hands. Did he know I didn't care about the free stuff yet?

"Robert," Kelly said softly with authority, a warning sign to slow down and zip it. "Please, you've had one too many."

He hesitated before closing his mouth and suddenly finding interest in the pavement. I had a feeling he knew her motives. Kelly looked at me again and smiled sweetly.

"I like your sound, sweetie. You've got a strong demeanor. I admire that. How long have you been singing?" she asked. This woman radiated authority and maternity at the same time. It was like talking to your mom, but your mom who was your boss.

"About five years now," I answered, calculating back. "And I've been playing guitar for eleven years. Piano for five." Her smile grew bigger.

"How lovely," she countered. "Have you ever considered having your own album?"

"Well, actually, no, because I don't write my own songs. I only cover songs. I'm no good at song writing. I much prefer to cover songs," I said, barely cringing at the possible impact of disappointment I was expecting to see on her face. "It's just not my thing."

"I see," she said, as if she heard that answer all the time. "No matter, some singers have cover albums that make more than their own albums. It doesn't take away from the unrelenting passion I seem to spot in you. Most singers don't hold that. The singers I signed long ago, anyway." She rolled her eyes at the end.

"Covers or not, you got potential, little lady," Robert said, choosing to speak up, pointing a finger at me with an eyebrow raised. He then pointed to the club with the vibrating bass. "That reaction from a first time gig is not something I have seen in a long time. Especially for foreign folks like this."

"Yes, it was quite interesting. I wonder how they would react for a second performance?" Kelly pondered, looking at the sky for a moment, then at Robert.

"Robert. I would like you to book a hotel immediately," Kelly said shortly.

"Oh, you don't have to do that-" I started as Robert pulled out his phone and walked off, dialing numbers. She turned to me and smiled.

"No trouble. What would you say to one more performance here?" She said, cutting me off.

At the same club? Here? Tomorrow? Tonight?

"Ummm..." I said, dumbfounded. "I'd...have to talk to my band first."

"Of course," she nodded. "And even if you don't agree, please enjoy the free stay on us. Italy is quite the beautiful country."

"Yes," I nodded. "Thank you. We appreciate it. I'll talk with them and I can report back to Robert immediately. But really, about the hotel. We've got a tour bus and its got plenty of space, and-"

"Please, it's the least I can do," she interrupted again, waving it off politely. "It's more important for you all to be comfortable in your visit here. After all, how many times do you go to Italy?"

It bothered me sometimes when people went the extra mile for me. I always had myself taken care of. By myself. I was content with just sleeping in the tour bus. It's actually really comfortable. But I could tell there was no winning this.

"Thank you," was all I said.

She waved it off.

"No trouble," she said, looking Robert's way. He was coming back, off the phone now. "Is the reservation ready?"

"Yep, all set. You're on the twelfth floor. We gave you the suite and room service is on us," he replied, his hands in his pockets. "So what's this I hear about performing again?"

"Well, I gave her an option. She will speak with her band mates and they will choose to mutually agree on performing tomorrow night at seven o'clock. If she agrees, you will give her the details on sound checks and warm-ups. And if she does not choose, she will enjoy the free stay in the hotel you booked for her," she said simply. "And don't push her into it, Mr. Butler." She added sharply. She looked back to me. "It was lovely meeting you, once again. I must be going now. I hope to hear your decision from Robert soon." With another lovely maternal smile, she left us, her heels clacking against the concrete.

"Let's go talk to your band, kid," Robert said, leading me toward the bus parked at the back of the club.

 **(A/N: I was going to end it here, but I decided I need to make my chapters longer, so here's APOV!)**

 **APOV**

When Felix left the driver's seat, I filled his spot immediately, snatching the keys from his hand.

"What the-" He turned, seeing his hand empty. I was too quick though, and slammed on the gas before he could say anymore. I heard Jane call after me, but I was already gone, speeding down the road.

That girl. Oh, that girl. Her _smell_. Her voice. Hell, her name.

Cheyenne.

Never in my life had I met one. The only familiarity the name has to me is those smelly Native American dogs the Cullens band with. The name is Native American. So, she's a dog, then?

All the more reason to kill her.

But she didn't smell like one. Not even close. She was purely human. Human with a gift that I didn't want to see bloom. One human was not enough for me to feed on tonight.

Humans.

Stupid, vile, unintelligible, slow, naive _humans_. I've always had power over humans. They're our food, our playthings. Fun to torment to no end. Except this human. For once, a human has power over me.

No.

Nobody holds power over me. I'm Alec Volturi. She is just as fragile and destructible as other humans. Just as naive. Just as mundane, as Jane called Felix and Demetri. But the way she sang...so human. So pure. So innocent.

Stop it, Alec. Think of Jane. Think of Jane. Ah, Jane. My flesh and blood. My only sister. My sister whom I used to share blue eyes with. My only family since 800 A.D. Since the day the yells of, "Witches! Burn them! Burn them!" cried out. Since the day we were conceived. Since the day our mother birthed us and died shortly after. The day we were supposedly cursed for being twins. The day we were called Witch Twins.

The day we died.

Damn it.

Her smell. Roses and mint.

I slammed on the brakes and turned the corner sharply, leaving the car by the curb. I cut the engine, searching the night for the body that occupied that godly beautiful scent.

There.

My eyes snapped to her figure. She was walking with a man, whom I could smell. He had alcohol in his system. I wrinkled my nose. I hate alcohol infested humans. She was just as beautiful in the night. The moon reflected her pale, olive-undertoned skin. Shadows from her toned muscles from guitar playing were showing from the moonlight. I could hear her heartbeat and the blood rushing through her veins. That smell. So sweet. So pure.

I want it.

I need it.

I'm going to kill her. Now.

I flashed out of the car in vampire speed and hid behind a corner.

Damn her for lowering me. Damn her for doing this to me. Damn her for making me hate her and be intrigued by her at the same time.

Don't worry. She'll be gone in no time. I smirked. This is what I do. I feed selfishly on human blood with no remorse whatsoever. I love the way it flows in my mouth and sooths the burning ache in my throat. And I certainly will not regret this one.

I'm Alec Volturi. I'm a vampire. I'm a soulless creature.

I am a Volturi.

 **(A/N: I still decided to keep going, so here's CPOV!)**

 **CPOV**

"Now, I don't suggest playing the same songs, but not everybody goes to the club, so you could still use the same set list if you want," Robert said, rubbing his dark goatee'd chin. I realized earlier that Kelly didn't tell me exactly where I was playing. She just said she hoped to see me tomorrow.

"Are we playing in the club again? She didn't say," I said, ignoring his question. We turned the corner of the club and I could see David and Travis packing everything up in the trailer. Out of the corner of my eye, I swore I saw movement. I turned my head quickly to the brick wall. What's that smell?

I think I need some late night dinner.

Robert didn't seem to notice my distraction and answered right away.

"Where else would you perform? There's nowhere else. That I know of, anyway. I'll call her," Robert said, waving his hand in a "Don't worry about it" fashion. He was already dialing Kelly's number when we reached the tour bus. I ran over to my brother and David, who were just finishing up packing.

"So, guess what?" I said. They shut the doors and looked my way.

"What?" David said, immediately focused.

"IHOP? 'Cause I was thinking the same thing," Travis said, patting his stomach. I chuckled.

"Maybe if you backed off my Doritos, you wouldn't be full of empty carbs," David muttered.

"Yes, I'm hungry, but that's not the point. We've been asked to do another show tomorrow. Robert booked us a hotel here. I spoke with his boss. She's impressed with us and she wants to see more reactions, I guess," I shrugged at the end. "So I'm asking you guys: Do you wanna stay or go? This is a mutual decision."

David's face lit up and he gave me a grin.

"I'm game! I knew we tore up the stage!" He gave me a high five (which I returned) and spun me around in a hug. He released me and looked to my brother. "You in, bruh?"

"Do you want to?" Travis asked me. He always asked me before we made decisions. That way we could always agree on something. I love my brother.

"If you do," I said. "Free room serviiiice." I grinned, teasing him. He gave me a look that said, "Really?"

"All right, I'm in," he said. David and I both laughed.

"So where is this dinner you speak of?" I asked, thinking back to his IHOP comment. "And I don't think they have IHOP in Italy."

"We could drive around. I wanna explore this city!" David exclaimed.

"We should get directions first," I said. "Put it in your GPS. I need to change my clothes really quick. You should try and ask the bouncer at the front if he knows where any restaurants are," I said to my brother, making my way to the tour bus door.

"Uh-kay," Travis said, pulling out his iPhone 5. "Let's go, David." He made his way toward the front of the club.

"We'll be back," David called after me, following Travis. I hopped into the bus and closed the door, searching in the small closet for some more casual clothes to wear.

"Travis's, Travis's, Travis's," I mumbled, sliding through clothes. "David, David, mine!" I said, reaching my side of the rack. I picked out a Zelda shirt and some shorts. I shed my current clothes and pulled my chosen ones on. Just as I was buttoning my shorts, there was a knock at the bus door.

"Comiiing," I called, jogging to the door. They must've found directions fast. I pushed the door open. "Did you find a-"

Okay, this wasn't my brother. Nor was it David. My brother wasn't pale. Neither was David. They didn't have dark brown hair that swooped over their foreheads (well, David's did, but it was a little longer and light brown). They didn't have angelic features. And they didn't have deep blue eyes, which I could easily tell were contacts. Wait, this guy looked familiar.

"Hello," he spoke fluidly. His voice was deep and silky like water. A smile graced his full lips.

"Can I help you?" I asked, confused really. The smile grew.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, you can," he said, his tone leaking into mischief. My heart faltered. Something wasn't right. My butt started tingling.

Yes, my butt tingles when I get nervous, scared, or excited. I know, I know. Hilarious.

"Excuse me?" I said calmly. I was trying to think of a plan. Maybe I could grab Travis's pocketknife from the glove box. Wait, no, that's too far away. I searched my memory for judo moves that I learned. I could break his wrist if he touched me. Block him if he punches me. I could escape an embrace.

"I thought your performance was phenomenal," he clarified. "And I wanted to ask you for your signature. Autograph," He recovered quickly at the end. I forced a smile.

"Oh. Thanks. Um, I don't actually have any paper," I said apologetically. "I could-"

He moved so fast, I didn't have time to finish. Or blink. I didn't even see him move at all. He had me against the closed door of the bus. Did he close it? I don't know. Stay calm, man.

"You could keep quiet so it won't hurt so much," he growled. His mouth was so close to my neck and I heard him inhale. What the heck...

His lips were icy cold. Hard like stone. It sent goosebumps over my skin. My heart was pounding as I tried to stay calm. Who was he? Did this have to do with him staring at me in the club? I felt something graze my skin. Something sharp.

"I hate you. So much," he growled. "I am-"

I heard a whoosh and he was no longer in my perimeter. I looked around the tour bus. Nothing.

I looked to the door; it was still closed. Was he still here?

What the heck just happened?

I sat on the couch, trying to calm myself. Who was that guy? Why was he acting like he was about to...

My hand flew to my neck and I pulled it back. Nothing. I ran to the mirror to check just incase. I moved my hair over my left shoulder and turned my head. Nothing. There was another knock just then.

"Hey, you ready yet? Anybody naked in here?" David called from outside the door, opening it slowly. I flipped my hair quickly and turned to the door.

"Yeah, I'm ready," I said, looking around the floor for some shoes. I pushed my feet into some flip flops by the couch and followed him out the door.

"We found a restaurant and got directions just inside town," he said, closing the door after me. I couldn't hear him though.

Who is that guy? Why did he hate me? He doesn't even know me! Okay, calm down, man. Chill.

"Hey, you okay?" David nudged my shoulder. It shook me out of my thoughts. I looked to him, light brown eyes and light brown hair. Skinny face, skinny frame.

"Yeah. I just zoned out," I said, turning my attention ahead of me again.

"Hey, kid!" Robert called from behind us. David and I turned. Right, I forgot all about him. He caught up to us, putting his phone back in its fancy belt loop case.

"You make a decision? Stay or nay?" He asked. "Kelly apologized for not giving a location. She said you'll be doing the show in town square, in front of the fountain." He had his hands on his round hips, trying to catch his breath.

"We're staying," I said with a smile. "We'll be there."

He grinned then, obviously happy with that.

"Great. See you tomorrow. 1 o'clock, sound check and rehearsal. And here," he said, digging into his pocket. He pulled out what looked like Italian money. "From Kelly. I almost forgot to give it to you. Don't spend it all in once place." He slapped the bills into my hand. I counted it. There was at least $900 worth of Italian money in this handful.

"Sweet," David breathed, staring at the money like it was his favorite flavor of Doritos. "Thanks, man!"

I handed him the money so he could smell it and whatever else.

"Thank you," I said more maturely than David. He just waved his hand.

"Don't mention it," he said gruffly, and took his phone out again to probably call a cab. "I'll get you guys a cab to and from the hotel. And don't worry about the tour bus."

"Dude! Look at this money!" David yelled, running to Travis, holding it all up like a spread out deck of cards. I snorted. David's such a goof ball.

"I got it," Travis called, coming in our direction and waving his phone. "Lez eat! Where'd you get that?"

Their conversation died out of my ears as I looked warily around me. I have no idea where that guy went. I didn't even know if he would show up again.

All throughout dinner (this cafe had the _best_ pasta. David and Travis wolfed down a pizza), we discussed the playlist for tomorrow. We were going to play some of tonight's songs, but mix them with different ones that we knew. And of course, we would conclude with dad's song.

Even when I laid in the comfortable hotel bed that night, I couldn't sleep.

 **All right, here's chapter 5! I decided to make it a bit longer because I feel like the others are too short. I hope this is good; I'm trying to make it make sense. Questions:**

 **What song do you think is dedicated to her father?**

 **Why did Alec run away at the last minute?**

 **All will be revealed next chapter! As for the song, that might be another chapter. I haven't decided yet. Anyway, R &R please-o!**

 **P.S. who likes Travis and David? :D**


	6. My What?

**APOV**

I didn't bother taking the car. I ran back to the castle. I had to get away from the scent. The disgusting, revolting scent. I was so close. So close to killing her. And then it happened.

 _"Yes, as a matter of fact, you can," I said charmingly. At my tone, her heart skipped a beat. Perfect._

 _"Excuse me?" She asked calmly. Oh, silly human, you can't fool me with your beating heart. Stupid human._

 _"I thought your performance was phenomenal," I said. "And I wanted to ask you for your signature. Autograph." Damn it. Her scent is making me dizzy. How is that possible? Her face cleared of the alertness, but her heart indicated she was nervous. Good._

 _"Oh. Thanks. Um, I don't actually have any paper," she said apologetically. "I could-" I made my move then. This was taking too long. Just drink her and hide the body!_

 _"You could keep quiet so it won't hurt so much," I growled. God, I hate her. I hate her. But I loved playing with my food. I dragged my lips across her neck, the pulse strong and fast. Roses and mint. So good. Just do it. Venom pooled in my mouth and my teeth grazed her neck._

 _"I hate you. So much," I growled. "I am-"_

 _What the hell?_

 _The disgusting scent of garbage, human body odor, dirt, and human food filled my nostrils and I reeled back. Her scent was nowhere in sight. The human was standing there, but her scent was gone. Non-existent._

 _Run. Just run. Get out. The smell. It's overbearing!_

 _I flashed out of the tour vehicle in vampire speed, running as far from the scent as I could get. I snorted out of my nose and inhaled the other scents around me to try and get the damned odor out. Trees, flowers, grass, fresh earth._

 _It wasn't working!_

When I entered the castle, I strode in a walk. I couldn't let Aro see this. I knew he would ask why I was missing and I knew Jane would be worried. I passed by Gianna the secretary's desk, paying her no mind. Aro would soon be firing her. Or eating her, that is. I smirked.

"Alec," she greeted me, bowing her head as I passed.

"Gianna," I said blankly, sparing my glance from her direction. I couldn't keep the smirk off my face. Seeing Gianna getting sucked dry was too good. It was then replaced by the other human. My smirk disappeared. Damn her. What the hell was that scent? Where did it even come from? I was so close to killing her, to sinking my teeth into her baby skin...

Demetri was right. She has a gift. A gift Aro couldn't know about.

Wait.

Why the fuck am I defending her? Protecting her? I should just kill her in her sleep instead and be done with it. Better yet, I'll let Jane torture her first and then I'll suck her dry. My smirk was back.

"Brother," Jane said with relief. She was hugging me in half a second's time. "Where have you been? Aro's awaiting your presence."

"I'm sorry, sister," I apologized, returning the embrace. Ah, Jane. My sister. She smelled of lavender. Her scent washed away the revolting one that resided in my senses. "I was...finishing my feeding. Alone. I'm afraid I hadn't enough entertainment at the club."

She pulled away from me and smiled sinisterly.

"Kill your pestering human?" she asked, evil delight glittering her eyes.

"Many humans," I lied through my teeth with a smile. I still, in fact, had the burning ache in my throat. I was so busy running that I didn't make a pit stop. I would have to go out. Again.

Jane smiled back, but she could always tell when I was lying. Twin telepathy.

"Don't worry, brother. I'll bring you back a nice human," she said. I could tell she was going to have her fun. I just hoped she wouldn't find my human. Wait.

 _My_ human? Snap out it, Alec. You need to feed. Badly.

"That would be wonderful, sister. I must speak with Aro now," I said thankfully, kissing her on the cheek and making my way to the throne room. God, how was I going to get out of this one? Aro would see everything I saw and know everything I was thinking of the human. When I strode in all clad in human clothing, Aro's face broke into an aged smile. He stood from his throne.

"Ah, Alec, you've returned from your nightly retreat. I do trust that you and the others had fun?" He asked, holding a hand out to see the experience.

 _Here goes nothing._

"Yes, Master," I replied smoothly, placing my hand in his. He covered it with his other hand, bowing his head to see inside my mind. His eyes were glassed over. I glanced over and saw Marcus studying me with slight interest. Oh dear God. Aro released my hand and looked at me, delight shining in his eyes.

"My, my, we've met ourselves a human, haven't we?" Aro crooned. "I definitely see a gift in her. Or should I say gifts? What an asset she would be to the Guard, wouldn't she, my son?" I knew he was testing me.

"I don't know, Master," I replied. I really wanted to break something.

"Your experience with her was quite...interesting, wouldn't you say? A human who can repel a vampire," he droned through, slowly going back to his seat. "I would certainly love to meet her."

No. _No_. No way in hell.

"Master, I don't think she would be of any help, if I may voice it. I have not fed in quite a while. I believe my thirst was overpowering my senses. I was not in a right state of mind. Jane is currently searching for a human to bring back for me," I lied, trying to talk him out of it.

"A human? I do hope you intend to eat her," Caius hissed from his place. "They are not to come into our castle unless it is to eat!"

Aro held up his hand. "Caius, please. This human is very...unique and...different. Why, she can lure people to her with her voice. Much like...a siren, wouldn't you agree, Alec?" he crooned again. "And better yet- she is perfect as your la tua catante."

 _My what? No. God, no. Hell no. Fuck no. Fuck. Damn. What? Why? Dear God, if you're up there, why did you do this? I can't have a singer. But her scent was so good..._

Snap out of it, Alec.

Aro's smile grew. Marcus's expression stayed the same. Caius smirked at my expression.

 _Bastard_.

"Master-" I tried, but he interrupted me.

"That is all, Alec. You may leave. Please replenish your thirst and we will discuss this further," Aro said with finality, flashing his palm once again. I simply nodded and made my way to exit. What he said before I went through the door made my dead heart flutter.

"I do look forward to meeting her."

 **All right, here it is, the reason Alec ran away! What do you think of Cheyenne's two gifts? Will she have to join the Volturi? What will Alec do? Will he bring her to the castle? All coming up soon!**

 **How do you guys like fidgety Alec? I think it's funny xD**


	7. Plots and Preparations

**A big thanks to my childhood friend crown172 for sitting at Starbucks with me and helping me with this chapter!**

 **NOTE: There will be bits of Spanish in here. If you don't know it, there will be translations at the end of the chapter. But I'll put them here too.**

 **¡No mas! = No more! (Or in some cases, you can view it as saying 'Stop!')**

 **¿Por que? = Why?**

 **Es madre = It's mom**

 **Estamos aquí = We're here**

 **Vamanos = let's go (or in Travis's words, "Lez go!")**

 **¿Quieres ir? = You wanna go?**

 **Si quieres ir = If you wanna go**

 **CPOV**

I had eventually gotten to sleep last night after telling myself I would just forget the whole incident happened. I spent the morning focusing on the playlist for tonight's show. David and I were currently sitting at the lounge table in the hotel suite with complimentary breakfast practicing the songs and where to harmonize with each other. Travis was in the shower probably using all the hot water. We were still in our pajamas. David's consisted of plaid sleep pants and an old-ish T-shirt and mine was an oversized band shirt from when I was in high school and cotton shorts that were hidden from it.

"I'm gonna sing, 'Standing by, waiting out your back door' all the way to 'you belong with me', and you're gonna go, 'Standing by, waiting out your back door', all the way to the end of the phrase," I explained to David, singing the two different harmonies. He nodded, staring at my lips for a second.

"Got it," he said. "Let's practice it." I nodded.

"Okay, play it," I said, and we harmonized the phrase of the song. I always got goosebumps when I harmonized with someone or if I heard it in a song. "Okay, and then we harmonize at, 'Burned in the back of your mind' until the end of the chorus. And then it'll switch into the next song. Okay?" He nodded again, picking the melody.

"Okay," I said, singing the phrases with him. He made eye contact with me this time. He's been acting sort of weird since last night. No, you're only thinking like that because you were almost neck mauled by a beautiful boy. Wait, no. No, no. Don't think like that. I haven't thought like that since ninth grade. In high school, I never dated. I had crushes, but I never dated or flirted. In fact, I was way at the bottom of the list. Not that I cared. Needless to say, I haven't thought of guys since ninth grade, much less payed attention to them.

The phrase ended and he held my gaze for a few more seconds before grinning and saying, "Good!" I nodded.

"Then it goes into the next song, and we have to harmonize starting on, 'Living in a big ol' city' all the way to 'Why you gotta be so mean?'. And then-" I was cut off by his hand holding my wrist. I looked at it, then him. I raised an eyebrow.

"Dudette, chill out," he said, giving me a soft smile. There was that look again **. (A/N: Anyone notice who this character would be from my previous story? ;) )** "You're gonna be great. We know all the parts. What's crawled up your pretty little butt?" He joked at the end, even though I had a feeling he meant the pretty part. I shoved his shoulder playfully and laughed, breaking his contact with my wrist.

"Don't put 'butt' and 'pretty' in the same sentence, Sherlock. And I'm fine. I always get shy before shows, remember?" I shoved a syrup covered piece of waffle in my mouth. "I'll be fine."

Travis came out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist. I could feel the steam from the bathroom making it's way in our direction.

"You used all the hot water, didn't you?" I said without turning around. I took the guitar from David and lazily played Hotel California. I've yet to play it on Guitar Hero with Travis soon since we didn't get to before the gig last night.

"Aw dude, come on!" David complained. "Some of us like to have a spa feeling in the morning!"

I snickered at that and sung the second verse under my breath.

"Sooorrryyy," Travis said in a nasally voice, grabbing his clothes and going back to the bathroom to change. He and I always did that when we did something on accident. It's quite funny.

"Guy eats my Doritos and takes my hot water," David grumbled. I stopped singing and looked at him.

"You still love him," I said, raising an eyebrow. "You guys have been friends since middle school. Plus, this is a hotel. I don't think the hot water runs out. He just likes to make the bathroom steamy." He was watching my fingers on the guitar.

"Plus, you could always replace your Doritos with ketchup covered tortilla chips. Then he wouldn't eat them," I added nonchalantly. His head snapped up to meet my eyes and his face lit up.

"That. Is. Genius! Dudette!" He raised his hand and high-fived me, then gave me another bone-crushing hug like last night. Now, we've hugged before many times in the past, but this was different. He crushes me harder and holds me longer. Does anyone else notice this? Is it just me?

I pulled away and gave the guitar back.

"Yes, and now I have to go shower," I said nicely, rising from my seat and grabbing the clothes I chose from the tour bus last night: Just a T-shirt and shorts. After Travis finally finished his long shower routine, I took my turn and was glad that I moved my toiletries into the hotel bathroom. I loved my VO5 Green Tea shampoo and my OGX Vitamin E conditioner.

While I was conditioning my hair, I absentmindedly sang one of my favorite Eagles songs, which they only sang live.

 _Harry got up_

 _Dressed all in black_

 _Went down to the station_

 _And he never came back_

 _They found his clothing scattered somewhere down the track_

 _And he won't be down on Wall Street in the morning_

 _He had a home_

 _Love of a girl_

 _But men get lost sometimes as years unfurl_

 _One day he crossed some line and he was too much in this world_

 _But I guess it doesn't matter anymore_

 _In a New York minute_

 _Oooooh_

 _Everything can change_

 _(In a New York minute)_

 _Ooooh_

 _Things'll get pretty strange_

 _(In a New York minute)_

 _Oooooh_

 _Everything can change_

 _(In a New York minute)_

 _Oooooh_

 _Lying here in the darkness_

 _You hear the sirens wail_

 _Somebody's going to emergency_

 _Somebody's going to jail_

 _If you find somebody to love in this world_

 _You better hang on tooth and nail_

 _The wolf is always at the door_

I washed myself and shaved my legs while I waited the three to five minutes for the conditioner to soak in. I skipped to the bridge, my favorite part.

 _In these days_

 _When darkness falls early_

 _And people rush home to the ones they love_

 _You better take a fool's advice and take care of your own_

 _'Cause one day they're here, next day they're gone_

 _Throw my coat around my shoulders_

 _And I took a walk down through the park_

 _The leaves were falling around me_

 _The groaning city in the gathering dark_

 _And on some solitary rock, a desperate lover left his mark_

 _He said, "Baby, I've changed. Please come back."_

 _What the head makes cloudy, the heart makes very clear_

 _You know the days were so much brighter in the times when she was here_

 _But I know that somebody somewhere_

 _Make these dark clouds disappear_

 _Until that day, I have to believe, I believe, I believe_

 _In a New York minute_

 _Ooooh_

 _Everything can change_

 _(In a New York minute)_

 _Ooooh_

 _Things can get pretty strange_

 _In a New York minute_

 _Ooooh_

 _Everything can change_

 _(In a New York minute)_

I finished with all of that and washed the conditioner out. My thoughts reeled back to the boy with the blue contacted eyes. Why did he have those? And why did he try to attack me? His teeth were sharp. They could've cut right through my skin like...

 _Knock knock._

"Hey dudette, I know you sound better in the shower and everything, but some of us gotta shower too, y'know!" David yelled outside the door, but I knew he was joking about the first part.

"Okay!" I yelled back. I made sure all the conditioner was out before shutting the water off and grabbing a towel. I squeezed all the water out of my hair and dried myself off. I stepped out and wiped the condensation off the huge vanity mirror. Shoot. I forgot about my makeup. Now I have raccoon eyes.

Eyes.

What was with the blue contacts? Why does he hate me? I know those contacts weren't just for fun. In fact, I swear that I saw them melt away at the edges before he attacked me. Attacked me like...

A vampire? Those teeth were real. The contacts weren't. His skin was pale, unnaturally so.

"Stupid makeup," I mumbled, plucking a facial wipe out of it's plastic container and wiping my eyes.

This was going to be a long day.

XxX

Come 12:30, after more practicing (since Travis took so long in the shower), we left the hotel to drive to town square. Robert was riding with us in the tour bus to give directions, so he and David were in the front while Travis and I were in the back lounging on the couches, squeezing in another Guitar Hero match.

" 'But we've been sweating while you slept so calm in the safety of your home'," I mumbled with the song, switching furiously between red and orange combos and blue and green ones. Travis was keeping the beat with the heel of his foot. Travis was singing too, but I think he was too focused on getting every hit. I was focused on being focused for the show. Just then, my phone went off in long vibrations beside me.

"Pause it, pause it! _¡No mas!_ " I said in one of our signature funny voices. We spoke Spanish to each other sometimes since we both remembered it from high school and we seemed to absorb it like a sponge. Funny how my grandma (my mom's mom) spoke it and had the accent, but my mom didn't know one word. I think it skipped a generation. Plus, why not use our latino side?

" _¿Por que?_ " he said back, glancing over at me.

"Someone's calling me," I said hurriedly, trying to keep a streak. He paused it then, and I picked my phone up. " _Es madre_ ," I pressed on the green phone and swiped it right, putting the phone to my ear.

"Hello?" I said.

"Hey," mom said. The last time she called was last week. Since she found out we were going to Italy, she spent the whole summer buying gig outfits for me, even when I told her I was fine. "What're you doing?"

"Nothing, we're just on the bus. We're about to do a sound check and stuff," I said.

"Ohhh, cooool," she said. I could hear wind blowing from her end. She must be outside. "How is it up there? Did you take any pictures?" I her heard blow out. Yep, she was smoking.

"No, I didn't get a chance to. But we're gonna be in town square soon, so I will when we get there. I'll put them on Facebook and stuff so you can see," I said, picking at a thread on my shorts.

"Okay," she said. "I'm out here at work smoking a cigarette. Where's Trav?" she asked.

"He's right here. You wanna talk to him?"

"Yeah. Have fun, don't get lost. And stay together," she said. She always said that when we went to far away places. But what parent didn't? I knew she didn't have to worry about me, though, since I had my brother and David with me.

"I will," I said, hiding a groan.

" 'Kay, love you," she said. This wasn't my favorite part. We were never particularly close, but it's not like I hated her or disliked her. She loved me all the same, though.

"Love you too," I said quickly. "Here's Travis." I handed the phone over. He took it.

"Hey mom," he said. I could hear the funny nasal voice in it. I let them talk and looked out the window. I could see cobblestone buildings and hints of people. We must be getting close. I put the plastic guitar beside me on the couch and went over the curtain separating this lounge area from the driver's area. I opened it, interrupting a conversation about who knows what.

"How far are we?" I asked, watching the road outside the windshield.

"Five minutes, kid. After your sound check, I'm taking everyone to lunch," Robert replied gruffly. "No, you can't drive on that side!" Robert jerked the steering wheel to the other side of the road.

"Jeez, sor _ry_ ," David said. "And we all have names. That's Cheyenne, I'm David, and her brother's Travis. We're not kids." I think he rolled his eyes at the end.

"Let's all just calm down," I said simply. "What time is Kelly going to be there?"

Robert glared at David for a second before looking back out at the road.

"When the show starts," he replied shortly. "She'll have other agents with her. They all flew in from L.A. to see you. Turn here, the guard's gonna let you in." He told David at the end, pointing.

"Got it," he said.

"Oh," I said. More agents? "They all work for her?"

Robert nodded. "Yep. The more agents that like you, the more gigs you're gonna get and then you could be signed faster than the Eagles were." He was getting happy and proud again.

"You're joking, right?" I said bluntly. I wanted to travel, but be signed? I still wasn't sure about it.

"Nope," he replied happily. "If these agents approve, you could be right on the ball."

"Don'tcha wanna be big, dudette? We could go to Vegas! We've never been there!" David bounced in his seat and parked the bus.

"All right, let's get set up. The roads have been blocked off for you guys until the show. And from what I hear, a lot of the same people are buying tickets," Robert said, hopping out of the bus and sounding all gruffy again, but not as much. He seemed happy about the ticket part.

"I don't know," I mumbled, flicking the curtains shut and turning back to Travis. He had just hung up the phone. " _Estamos aquí_."

He tossed my phone and I caught it.

" _Vamanos_ ," he said, stretching. We all made our way off the bus and I took a good look around what was Volterra.

Cobblestone ground, buildings built into one another, shops, restaurants, wide space, and a huge fountain where a huge stage was being set up occupied my vision. I could see stage lights hanging from it and a black curtain covered the back of it. Lights were being tested and stools were being placed down. There were people with grey T-shirts setting it up. Everything was blocked off like Rob said. I saw some people trying to sneak peeks at what was going on. There were also some street guards standing by the signs that probably said "Road Closed" in Italian. David and Travis were unloading all the instruments, cords, and amps, which more grey-shirted people took. I went over to help them since they always pack the stuff up for me. I climbed into the trailer, moving past the moving guys and grabbed my keyboard stand. I handed it over to one of them and then picked up my keyboard, which was sometimes heavy. It should be, it cost quite a lot. I made my way back to the opening and handed my keyboard to David, then jumped out.

"Psyched, dudette?" David asked with a smirk, following me to the stage. I shrugged.

"If you mean excited to sing, then yes," I replied simply. When we neared the stage, I could see Robert yelling at the people with the grey shirts about where to put everything.

"Ah, you'll loosen up after the sound check," he said like he already knew it would happen. Which it would. He hopped up on the stage and immediately one of the guys took the keyboard to set it up.

"Be careful with that!" I yelled to him.

Thirty minutes later, we were finally warming up and checking all the mics. Robert had me sing something random (I didn't sing any of the songs we picked) to adjust the volumes and effects.

"And go," he pointed, staring at the controls on the sound board.

"She wiiiiiiill be loooooved," I sang, watching him for the cue to stop. "And she wiiiiiiiill be looooooved." He held up his hand.

"Fan _tastic_ ," he grumbled. "All right." He pointed to David. "Play me somethin'."

Almost immediately, David broke out into a riff from Don't Fear the Reaper. He was always itching to play his guitar, show time or not.

"Stop," he yelled over the sound. David stopped, with disappointment.

"Man," he whispered. "I was just getting to the good part." I chuckled.

"Don't worry, we'll break out into Guitar Hero mode during the show," I assured him. Travis was adjusting his ear piece, sitting at the drum set.

"One more time," Robert said ruefully. David grinned and continued with his riff. He listened, watching the controls again before waving his hand for David to stop.

"And that's how it's done," David grinned.

"Doritos, David," I said tonelessly, staring out at the empty space where the audience would be. He always got distracted by the thought of Doritos.

"Maaaan, why can't they make a burrito flavored Dorito?" He groaned. "It's not that hard." He threw his arms up.

"Drums," Robert commanded, pointing to Travis. He nodded and did his part.

"Did you have your Doritos today?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at David. He pouted.

"No," he grumbled. "I doubt freaking Italy has them here. When we get back to America..." He looked at the sky dreamily, closing his eyes.

"There's some in the tour bus," I said like it was obvious. "Remember? We bought you ten bags of the Party Size before we left." I suddenly remembered that my mom wanted pictures and took it out to take one of the stage. I changed the camera to front view and turned away from David, holding it up so that we were in view.

"Oh yeaaah!" he said, relieved. He saw what I was doing and held up his guitar like he was playing, sticking his tongue out in KISS fashion. I made a 'sup nod look and took the picture. He jogged over to see what it looked like.

"Do I look good?" he said, looking over my shoulder. A bit close, I might add. I showed him the picture. "Damn. I'd date me. We look good." He said the last part seemingly to himself.

"All right! Let's get a few songs going and we'll get lunch," Robert called out. I ignored the goosebumps that appeared on my spine and snapped my head up. I pocketed my phone and David moved back to his spot.

"Upload it later," he said. I nodded at him, and asked if everyone was ready.

"Yyyep," Travis said from the drums.

"Let's rock!" David said, his happy self again. I nodded and told them what we should practice first.

 **(A/N: Sorry, I'm not revealing the songs until the show! Hahaha, I know I'm evil. But it's important. What do you think is going on with David? Hmmm? Any ideas?)**

 **APOV**

"Come on, Al," Felix whined, jumping on my bed on his knees. "Who's the girl? Are we having troubles with our-"

I swiftly kicked him off my bed, sending him crashing into the wall. Nobody speaks of the human. It was hard enough trying to keep her scent and the fact that she was my singer out of my mind and away from the castle at all costs. I had spent all my time staying in my room after my talk with Aro, trying to think of ways to get out of this. Even though there was not one. I only left when Jane had brought me three humans to feed on, none of which were my-the human. She could end up in the castle tour or as a snack for one of our nightly raids. Anything could happen.

"Our what, Felix? And don't call me Al," I hissed, glaring at him profusely. I was tempted to use my mist to cut off his senses and render him useless. He stood up and dusted himself off, holding up his hands in surrender.

"Nothing," he said, unfazed by my threat. "We just wanna know who you gotta crush on." He waggled his eyebrows. I growled at him.

"Leave my room and I won't kill you numbly," I said coldly. I opened my palms and sent the mist floating his way. He backed up, speeding to the door.

"I'm out!" he said, slamming the door, taking it right off the hinges. "Sorry!"

I sighed, clenching my fists and bringing the mist back in. In my millennium of being immortal, I never felt so mentally drained.

"Brother," I heard my sweet sister from the broken door. She stepped in through the empty doorway and sat herself neatly on my bed. Her scent invaded my senses. Lavender. "Is the news true? Do you harbor human feelings for the human from the club? Aro told me of your visit with him." She spoke smoothly and tonelessly as always, but I could hear it. I could hear the disgust she held for humans as I did. I sat up and took her hand in my own.

"Sister," I said, rubbing circles on the back of her hand. She smiled. "I do not like having a singer. I do not want one. I do not want a mate. You know this. Aro believes bringing her here will make the Volturi more powerful." I hated that fact. And for some reason, telling her I did not want a singer felt heavy on my tongue.

"Yes, I heard," she said with a hard voice then. "What could she possibly be for the Volturi? A songbird for vampires?" She scoffed. "It's practically useless. She would never fit here." I looked into her ruby eyes, which one held the color of the ocean. Ruby or blue, I could still see my sister in those eyes. The sister she turned into after we were changed. She was once sweet, happy, innocent. She always laughed. She would always beg me to come see what she drew in the dirt when we played outside. She would always dance around in her favorite blue dress. But that Jane dissolved with the body that was razed by venom. She was now sadistic and lived on vengeance for the mortal life that was taken from her. From us. But every time I spoke to my sister, I could see her. The old Jane. Despite her joyous evil smiles and lilting voice, she was still my little sister.

"You were not affected by her voice," I realized just then. I flashed back to the previous night. Jane had been angry at Felix and Demetri for succumbing to the sweet torture that was Cheyenne's voice.

"Of course not," she said, rolling her eyes. "Why would I pay attention to some ignorant human other than to feed? Although I was tempted to use my gift on her for luring you."

I smiled then. Evilly. Killing her would be easier than I thought.

Perfect.

"Dear sister," I purred, grinning. "How would you like to have that forbidden chance?"

She looked at me, her eyes lighting up with evil delight. She grinned back.

"You are genius, dear brother," she said proudly.

 **CPOV**

Robert had taken us to lunch as he promised. We found a little bistro restaurant a few streets down from our location of the stage. David and Travis were, once again, wolfing down their food like cavemen while Robert and I ate more calmly.

"They always like that?" Robert said, raising an eyebrow and wiping his mouth from his chicken parmesan. I nodded, sipping my water.

"Yep," I said. "But I love them." I shrugged, picking up a slice of the spinach pizza I ordered.

"Hey! Hands off the fries, bro," David said, slapping Travis's hand. "You already ate my Doritos. Don't think I won't get you back for that." He pointed sternly in his direction.

"I said I was sorry," Travis said, throwing his hands up. "It was one bag!"

Robert was flicking his eyes between the both of them before rolling his eyes and going back to his food.

"Guys," I said. They turned their attention to me. "I love you, but you're turning heads. Here, taste this." I gave Travis one of my slices. The three of us always ate off each other's plates, but most of the time I kept to myself. He took it and ripped the dough, spinach, and alfredo sauce with his teeth, then handed it back to me. He nodded.

"That's good," he said. I nodded my agreement and went back to eating.

"There, now he won't eat your food," I said to David.

"So," Robert said then, putting his wadded up napkin on the table. I could see his tongue moving around his teeth through his closed mouth. "We were talking about sending you to L.A. next if the agents like you. They could get you a gig there and get your name out there. Then maybe in a few years' time or even a year, you could be the opening act for someone. Say, Lorde? Lady Gaga? Or..." He tried to think of more artists.

"I don't think we're ready for that yet," I said honestly. Travis and David were frozen mid chew from listening to Robert. Their gazes moved to me. Robert looked dumbfounded as if he'd just been pantsed.

"I really just want to say that I don't want us to be signed just for fame," I said. "That's not my reasoning for this." I looked to my friend and brother. "I don't know about you guys."

"Well," Travis said, wiping his mouth, going into my dad's explanation mode. He rubbed his eye underneath his glasses. "Let's just take it as we go. We'll play gigs, and if we decide it's too much, we'll stop. I'm not gonna force my sister into doing something she doesn't wanna do. Or that potentially will ruin this experience for her. We all make decisions together." He shrugged, leaning back in his seat and folding his arms.

Thank yew, bruthah. **(A/N: Yes, I spelled it like that on purpose. If it helps, imagine Josh Peck saying this.)**

"I'm with them," David said, copying Travis's movements. "Lady doesn't want, lady doesn't do. Everybody who knows her knows she doesn't like fancy treatment." He shrugged too. He winked a light brown eye at me, then. I smiled sincerely and looked at Robert.

"Not that we don't appreciate what you've done for us," Travis added. I nodded.

"We do appreciate you booking the hotel and buying us the food and everything. I just don't want to be rushed. I like to perform because I like it. I truly like it. I like the feel of singing and everything. I like being with my brother and our best friend making music. And I feel if you signed us so soon, it wouldn't make me want to perform. If an artist isn't comfortable, they aren't going to do so well," I explained. Robert didn't say anything. He still had the pantsed look on his face. I glanced at my two goof balls. They were smiling at each other like, "That's our sister." (At least, I still hope David saw me as that.)

"Well, damn," he said, scratching his dark haired goatee and staring at his plate. I'm starting to think it's a habit. "I've never been...explained this before. All right, all right, look," He rushed then, leaning forward and holding up his hands.

"How 'bout this," he said, looking at us now. "I'll tell Kelly about your feelings. She can tell the agents to fly back after the show and if you want, you all can stay here and play a few more shows and get comfortable," he said, using air quotes for "comfortable" like a foreign word. "If you don't wanna stay, we could get you tickets right back to the States and your hometown, wherever you like. We'll pay for everything including gas because that stuff's expensive," he added, pointing at me about the fares. "And wherever you choose to stay, we could get you gigs and the host would pay you. Cafes, restaurants, wherever you choose." He folded his hands on the table at the end. "Whadda ya think? With the money you make, you could then pay for your own hotels and stuff."

I looked to David and Travis. They looked back at me.

"What do you think?" Travis repeated his words, letting me decide. I looked at Robert.

"You don't have to do all that," I said. "I just don't want to be signed. Not so fast. I just want to enjoy performing. Not fame. And I'm sorry if that doesn't meet your guys's standards. We've just always taken care of ourselves." I shrugged.

"All right," he said, waving his hands as if he was clearing something. "How about-"

"Robert, what are you pushing now?" A light voice asked. I could hear the authority and humor. All our heads turned to see Kelly sauntering over to our table in all her long-legged, dark-haired, pretty faced beauty. She wore black slacks, heels, and a white ruffled sleeveless blouse. Her black hair was perfectly curled and ended a few inches above her spine because of them. Her eyelids were dusted white and her crease had a light brown. Her eyes were lined with a slight wing at the end. Again, none of her lashes stuck together and were voluminous like a mascara ad. The whole look made her emerald eyes pop. I heard David whistle under his breath.

"Hello, Cheyenne, lovely to see you again, honey," she smiled maternally, offering her dainty hand. I took it and nodded, smiling now that she was here.

"You too," I said genuinely. I looked to David and Travis. David was gawking over her while Travis was just sitting there. "Guys, this is Kelly, Robert's boss and the head of Summer Records. Kelly, this is my brother Travis and our friend David." I pointed to each of them. Travis reached across first and was polite like our dad always was.

"Nice to meet you," he said. Kelly smiled back and shook each of their hands.

"Lovely to meet you both," she said nicely. David, being the odd ball, bowed his head while shaking hers.

"It's a pleasure, ma'am," he said, grinning. I raised my eyebrow. Come on, David, work with me here. He released her hand and leaned back in his seat.

"Kelly," Robert said gruffly, but respectively. "I was just telling them about the agents and-" She held up her hand to stop him.

"Please, I heard all I needed to," she said politely. She looked at me. "We definitely won't force you to sign any contracts or stay in any locations rendered uncomfortable to you. Although, if you do want to stay in Italy, perhaps we could let you visit other cities such as Sicily or Rome. They are beautiful places with many available venues. If not, you could return to your hometown or wherever you like as Robert suggested."

Rome? Aw man, Rome was on my imaginary bucket list! I wanted to visit it because Gladiator is my favorite movie (and Russell Crowe is my favorite actor). I've always been obsessed with the Roman era for some reason.

"Rome? Like...Rome? The Colosseum, Rome? Here in Italy, Rome?" I blubbered, staring up at her 5'11" frame from the heels.

"Uh-oh, you got her attention," Travis chuckled.

Kelly smiled her motherly smile again, clearly liking that I was excited.

"Yes, honey, Rome, Italy," she giggled, covering her pink lips with her hand. It sounded so sweet. Motherly sweet. Everything about her screamed MOM. "I take it you have never been and would like to see it?"

"Okay, Kelly, do I need to make some calls?" Robert said gruffly, interrupting my reverie. I sipped my water. She turned her attention to him.

"Robert, do please relax," she said. "It is up to them to make the decision."

I looked at Travis and David. I think my look said it all because they both laughed and nodded.

"If you want, dudette," David said. Travis shrugged.

"You want to?" he asked. I looked to Kelly.

"When would we go?" I asked her politely. Robert was pulling the Italian bills out of his overstuffed wallet and placing them on the table, grumbling to himself about something I couldn't hear.

"As soon as you would like," she answered with a single nod. "You could do tonight's performance and be traveling on the bus the following morning. With Robert's help, of course." She flashed her eyes to him, and he just nodded.

"Hell, I say we do it!" David exclaimed, throwing his arms up. I looked to my brother.

" _¿Quieres ir?_ " I asked him in Spanish. He shrugged.

" _Si quieres ir_ ," he replied back. "Rome sounds cool. We could stay here longer."

I looked to Kelly. She looked to Robert.

"Robert, be a dear please and call the closest hotel in Rome," Kelly said politely. He nodded, still grumpy I suppose, and got up from his seat to go outside. She smiled and took the empty seat beside Robert's, which was closer to David.

"I take it you are all enjoying your stay here?" she asked, placing her shiny black (and expensive looking) hand clutch on the table. David seemed excited that she was sitting by him because his face was turning pink. "I do apologize for Robert's behavior. He has never met a trio like you all before. You're all very young and he's not used to such requests."

"Yes, thank you," Travis said first.

"This place is the-I mean, it's awesome," David corrected himself. He didn't use his outgoing profanities around more grown up women. He may be a goof ball, but he had some manners. If she noticed, she didn't let it show except for the small smile she gave him. "Robert? Nah, me and him get along fine. We're like buddies!" His voice edged higher at the end. I raised an eyebrow and decided not to call his bluff.

"We weren't trying to cause trouble or anything," I apologized. "We're just comfortable with being like this for now." She held up her hand.

"I quite understand," she said simply. "Robert was offering extremities that were not necessary. He quite likes you all, it seems. He's been trying very hard to keep you. He's never been this way with other artists."

I was about to wave it off when the waiter came over and asked her in Italian if he could take the check. She replied back politely. My heart skipped a beat for a minute before calming down. I thought the waiter was the boy I saw from last night. I guess it was the shock of black hair that threw me off. But the waiter had a perfect tan and brown eyes. Nothing like the boy I saw, which raised the questions in my head again.

Was he a vampire? Or is that just from me reading too many novels? Would he show up at tonight's performance? If he did, would he try to corner me again? Would he tell me he hated me again and try to kill me?

Was that why he smelled me?

I was broken out of my thoughts with the shaking of my shoulder.

"Cheyeeeenne," my brother sang. I looked at him. He, David, and Kelly were standing. "You ready to go?"

"Oh, yeah," I said, pushing the thoughts away and joining them. Kelly looked at the watch that was on her wrist.

"It's nearing 3:30. Robert will ride with you back to your hotel so you can prepare for the concert," she said with her authoritative voice. "I must be going. The agents have just arrived at the airport and I have to meet them. We will see you all tonight. It was wonderful to meet you, David, Travis." With a smile that showed her teeth, she turned and left us, her heels clicking against the floor.

"Man. She is a _babe_ ," he said, constrained. I could tell he was holding that comment in through the whole conversation. I snickered. David, the goof ball, everyone.

"Come on, Dave, let's get you some Doritos," Travis joked, patting him on the back. We left the restaurant and Robert told us our hotel for Rome was booked. Same suite, same floor.

"Aw man, bro, I love you," David with exaggerated emotion, hugging him around the shoulders and ducking his head. He snapped up his head and grinned.

"Don't worry dudette, I love you too," he said. I smiled.

"Oh good, I was feeling left out," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

XxX

When we got back to the hotel, 4 o'clock was here. We had to be back at the stage at 6:00 to warm up, which only gave me about an hour and a half to get ready. We were also going to practice our songs one more time in the room before we left. As I was straightening my hair with my Chi, my butt tingled with the gnawing thought of the boy showing up at the show. I never got his name, so I don't know what to call him.

Okay, just calm down. You're overthinking. This isn't about him. Volterra is a large place, he could be anywhere. He could've just been on a visit like I was. He could be gone already. But he had a trace of an accent, which I think was British. English, maybe? All I remember was that it was beautiful. His face was perfect.

Too perfect to be human.

Stop. Focus. Don't let one person ruin your day. I remember that my dad told me that in eighth grade. He was early into his illness then. There had been rumors going on about me all because of a crush I had, to make a long story short. But that doesn't matter now. My dad would want me and my brother to be happy with what we're doing. With where we are now. And I was. I am. I know he'd be proud of what we've accomplished.

I finished my hair and switched off the straightener, turning to my makeup bag. I pulled out my BB cream (I didn't want full coverage or heavy skin, but you still needed something to make you not look washed out under the lights), my two mascaras, the waterproof eyeliner pen, and my BH Cosmetics pallet. I looked through the colors, trying to decide what kind of look I wanted. Sometimes I chose it based on what my outfit would look like or what kind of songs we would be performing. I went over the playlist in my head and thought about it. I ditched the pallet and just chose eyeliner and mascara instead after applying the BB cream. As I was finishing the wings on my eyeliner, Travis called out from behind the curtain.

"Helloooo?" he said before opening it.

"Yes?" I said, finishing it and putting the cap on the eyeliner.

"It's five o'clock. We should practice before we have to leave 'cause David's driving," he explained. I got out of my chair and nodded, following him. We all gathered on the leather lounge couch and grabbed our respectable instruments. David on an acoustic guitar, me on a normal one, and Travis on "thigh drums". I was without my piano, but I would go over those songs myself when we warmed up at town square.

"Okay, first song. Do you remember your part?" I asked my brother. He nodded.

"Yep," he said, anxious to drum. He was bouncing his feet.

" 'Kay, let's go," I said, picking the beginning of the song with David joining in.

XxX

 **Felix POV (I wanted to try it out and I thought I would give you guys more Felix/Demetri humor. Enjoy and I'm sorry if it's bad!)**

"Is she really coming to the castle?" I asked, surprised. Demetri nodded, flipping through an old Poe book while lounging sideways on a chair.

"She has a gift, I told you," he said, smirking. "But the question is if we can catch her. I tracked her. She is still here in Volterra. Jane has me keeping tabs on her."

"Wow," I breathed. Her voice was one of an angel's. She was better than Carrie Underwood and Whitney Houston combined! She didn't sing too loud or too quiet. She had perfect balance. I wish Demetri and I could sing that good. Hey, maybe when she arrives here, we could all play karaoke! I'm asking him about it later. At the moment, Aro was preparing for her arrival. He was telling the chef in the kitchen about our guest and sending Heidi out shopping for gowns, dresses and other clothes.

"How soon do you think Aro would change her?" I asked. "We heard her. Alec heard her. She could kick ass." I lounged back and put my hands behind my head, watching dust particles dance in the air with my vampire vision.

"Quite quickly, I assume. He saw what we experienced at the club, so I imagine he'll want her changed immediately. Not to mention since she is Alec's singer, Alec will probably change her himself. If he would stop being such a pussy about his feelings for her." He rolled his eyes and swiftly stood, speeding over to the bookshelf in a flash. He put the book back and searched the book spines for something else. I grinned.

"Ah, Al's just got nerves. He's acting like she has cooties. Once they meet, he'll be as smooth as the skin on my marble butt," I said, waving it off. Demetri snapped his head in my direction and glared at me.

"I don't want to hear about your butt," he said lowly. I threw my head back and laughed, then shrugged.

"Don't we all have marble asses? Heidi talks about yours all the time," I wiggled my eyebrows at him, joking. "Although I don't like hearing you guys through the walls everyday. It's really gross." I grimaced. Those two got it on more than Alec and me combined, which was every couple of centuries. Vampires could be satisfied with one partner for a long time, but everybody was sure that Demetri and Heidi were mates.

Demetri smirked at my last statement.

"Well, I have to do something to block out your deaf tone beltings of Bonnie Raitt," he said. "I'm sure the castle can hear that more than Heidi and me. You sound like those wet dogs that the Cullens prowl around with."

"Well, I gotta block out your rabbit humping somehow!" I retorted back, throwing my arms up. "You guys break more furniture than I break Alec's doors! And that's just on accident!"

"Well, perhaps when the human gets here, she can teach you to sing better," he smirked again. That she could. That she could. Just then, the doors to the library opened and our attention turned toward the person who entered. I stood swiftly and quickly, bowing. Demetri did the same from the bookshelf.

"Master," we said at the same time in a formal tone. Aro held up his hand.

"Felix, Demetri," he greeted. "At ease. Do prepare for our arrival of the gifted human. She will be here within the next morning. I would like you both to see that she is as comfortable as possible. You will greet her and make up her room." He said in his crooning voice. We nodded and bowed our heads again.

"Yes, Master," we said in unison. He turned to leave, but before he left, he turned back to us, the fingertips of his hands touching together.

"And do please quiet your activities while she is residing here. We wouldn't want to scare her," he said lightly, and sauntered, almost floated, out of the room.

Demetri and I glanced at each other. If we were human, we'd sure be blushing. Demetri threw his chosen book behind his shoulder and sped to the door.

"Where you goin'?!" I said. Now I was gonna be bored setting up the room by myself.

"To fuck Heidi one more time before the human gets here," he said hurriedly, and shut the door.

Oh, BeJeezus.

 **All right, here's chapter 7 with an added FPOV! I hope you liked it and don't worry, the next chapter, Cheyenne will arrive at the Volturi castle! I know you've all been waiting for that and I'm sorry. I've just been trying to get this story together and I've got more stuff coming up! So please bear with me annnnnd R &R! **

**Questions:**

 **What do you think the song is that's dedicated to Cheyenne's dad?**

 **What do you think Jane and Alec's plan is?**

 **How do you think Cheyenne will react to seeing Alec again?**

 **All will be revealed! Just keep reading!**

 **Also, if you haven't heard New York Minute by the Eagles, I deeply encourage you to listen to it! It's so emotional! *cries* and even though it's about a man who got hit by a train, it's still good.**


	8. When in Rome

**I don't own Twilight or its characters! Just my OCs and my plot! Here's chapter 8! Also, I have put links for what Kelly and David look like [minus the hair on the Kelly pic! Please ignore the hair in that picture because that's not her hair! I'll put a separate link for what her hair looks like. Please just focus on the face and that's what she looks like (maybe minus the eye color too. But you all know what emerald eyes look like!) Sorry for the separation, but that's as close as I could get!] And here are some translations:**

 **Vamos a sacar un foto = We're going to take a picture**

 **CPOV**

During the half hour ride to town square, I picked out my gig clothes: A black Hotel California shirt in which I cut the sleeves and sides off of (I always gave a punk edge to my gig clothes), ripped denim shorts, and black Converse. Travis was blaring Breaking Benjamin's new song from the lounge area to get pumped up. I sang along with the lyrics while getting dressed.

 _Time will take our place_

 _We return it back to one_

 _The calm before the cold_

 _The long and lonely road_

 _Look for the light that leads me home_

 _Tired of feeling lost_

 _Tired of letting go_

 _Tear the whole world down_

 _Tear the whole world down_

 _Failure_

I could hear Travis slapping his thighs with the drum beats and quietly singing along as well.

 _Drive the cloud away_

 _We will fall from last to none_

 _The dark before the dawn_

 _The world will carry on_

 _Look for the light that leads me home_

 _Tired of feeling lost_

 _Tired of letting go_

 _Tear the whole world down_

 _Tear the whole world down_

 _Tired of wasted breath_

 _Tired of nothing left_

 _Tear the whole world down_

 _Tear the whole world down_

 _Failure_

I folded up my previously discarded clothes to change back into later, grabbed my shoes and a pair of low cut socks and came out of the curtain to sit on the lounge couch. I started putting my shoes on while Travis continued to furiously drum to the rest of the song. He always had a concentrated look on his face and looked at the air while he drummed. It was watching like Link before you released the B button for a spin attack. The song changed and lo and behold, an Eagles song came on. He probably plugged my phone into the auxiliary port on the radio.

Don Henley! He always made me excited to sing. I finished tying my shoes and slowly (and jokingly because I cannot dance) moved myself like I was doing The Worm and snapped my fingers with the 4/4 beat. I started singing to the jazzy/rock sounding 70's song.

 _Tell us what you're gonna do tonight mama_

 _There must be some place you can go_

 _In the middle of the tall drinks and the drama_

 _There must be someone you know_

 _God knows you're looking good enough_

 _But you're so smooth and the world's so rough_

 _You might something to lose_

 _Oh no, pretty mama_

 _What you gonna do in those shoes?_

I tried to match the last low note of the chorus like Don did, and succeeding although he was a man and I wasn't.

 _Got those pretty little straps around your ankles_

 _Got those shiny little chains around your heart_

 _You've got to have your independence_

 _But you don't know just where to start_

 _Desperation in the singles bars_

 _And all those jerk offs in their fancy cars_

 _You can't believe your reviews_

 _Oh no, you can't do that_

 _Once you've started wearing those shoes_

I air guitar played the jazzy sounding riffs of the bridge, closing my eyes and biting my lip like I was trying really hard. I sang along with Timothy, Glen and Don while Joe Walsh used the synthesizer wire.

 _They're lookin' at you, leanin' on you_

 _Tell you anything you wanna hear_

 _They give you tablets of love_

 _They're waiting for you, got to score you_

 _Handy with a shovel and so sincere_

 _Ooooh, they got the kid glove_

 _You just want someone to talk to_

 _They just wanna get their hands on you_

 _You get whatever you choose_

 _Oh no, you can't do that_

 _Once you've started wearing those shoes_

 _Oh no, you can't do that_

 _Once you've started wearing those shoes_

I sang with Joe and The Wire, as I called it.

 _Ba-dow, ba-dow_

 _Ba-dow, ba-dow_

 _Ba-dow, ba-dow_

 _Ba-dow, ba-dow_

 _Ba-dow, ba-dow_

 _Ba-dow, ba-dow_

 _Ba, dow, ba-dow_

 _Whoa, whoa_

 _Ba-dow, ba-dow_

 _Ba-dow, ba-dow_

 _Ba-dow, ba-dow_

 _Ba dow_

"Sweet," Travis said with a hint of surfer dude in his voice. I chuckled, excited now. I was pumped up completely.

"Sweet job, dudette!" David called from the driver's seat. "You're gonna nail it!"

"Thanks, Dave!" I yelled back with a grin. Usually I was calm and collected (and shy no less) before performances, but sometimes certain songs hit a nerve for me and I get excited.

"Save your voice for warmups, kid," Robert said, flicking the curtain back. "We're five minutes away." With that, he closed it and continued directing David on his driving. I unplugged my phone from the auxiliary port and tapped on the camera icon.

"Vamos a sacar un foto," I said, going back to the couch. I sat by Travis and made sure it was on the front facing camera before holding it up. He made a sassy face while I did the same and taking the picture. We often made the same faces because I thought it made us look like twins. We were only a year and a half apart. I uploaded all three of the pictures I took while I was here to Instagram and Facebook, giving them appropriate captions and hashtags.

When David parked the bus, we all got off (after I checked my makeup and realized I forgot lipstick), walked to the stage and warmed up. I went right to my keyboard and went over the song I was going to play solo. I played the song, singing the lyrics quietly to myself. Travis and David were tuning guitars with each other and Robert was talking to security guards to make sure the stage was at a respectable distance from the huge water fountain. The grey shirted people were at the sound board testing the lights on the stage. I stared out into the empty space where everybody would be standing in an hour. The space was quite huge, minus the space the fountain took up. I could see a few citizens gathering to try and sneak a peek until some security guards had to tell them to leave. It was probably all in Italian and I couldn't hear them speak from where I was standing at all, but I knew that's what he was telling them.

"All right, kids, ready? Let's do it one more time before the show," Robert said, walking away from the security guard to the large empty space. We all got in our spots for the first song and began warming up.

 **Demetri POV (I'm trying this one out too. Sorry if it's bad!)**

Jane had sent me on another trip to check on the human, whose name I heard was Cheyenne from Alec's story. I had to admit, it was a beautiful name and quite rare. There were no Cheyennes that I met during my existence as a vampire. A rare name for a seemingly rare human. Aro was overly delighted to have her. Why Alec was so pissy about her, I had no idea why. Actually, I did know, I just thought he was being a sissy about it. He didn't want anyone mentioning her, and when someone did, he unleashed his gift on them. Jane hated Cheyenne for being Alec's singer and his mate. Caius was none too happy about this either, and Marcus...well, Marcus was Marcus. He could see something forming between Alec and Cheyenne, but it was very faint. He believes it will grow when she gets to know him.

I ran through the forest in vampire speed, my Volturi cape flapping behind me and the greenery blurring together. I could sense her and she was still here. As I came into city limits, I could hear it. Her voice. But it was not alone this time. There were two other voices blending with hers, making it even more powerful. There was no need for tracking anymore, because her gift was luring me in. I followed the sound. It was all I could hear at the moment. I couldn't hear the birds in the trees or the wind, even. It was only her voice.

I hid in the shadows behind a building in town square, trying not to get any closer. The roads were blocked off for an apparent performance. Oh, Jane wouldn't like this at all. God forbid Alec goes out tonight for any reason. Or any of the Volturi. Oh God, the voice. Her voice. Don't move your feet, Demetri. Come on, damn it.

My feet wouldn't listen. They moved on their own accord toward the setting sun. Not good, not good. My skin was on the edge of meeting the sun when suddenly her voice stopped and I was released.

"Perfect, perfect," I heard a man say. He was clapping. I hadn't gotten around to learning the other names, but from what I heard from conversations, I think his name was Robert.

I ran in the opposite direction back to the castle. I had all the evidence I needed and Jane wasn't going to like it, but I knew Aro would.

 **CPOV**

It was almost show time. Fifteen minutes until we went on. All three of us were back stage (four including Robert) having a talk. I could hear the clamor of the audience.

"All right, all the agents and Kelly are out there waiting to see you perform," he said gruffly, pointing at us. "And I think, no, I know they're gonna like you three. Just be yourselves and show 'em what you got. Got it?"

"Dude, we got it, chill. You're gonna make Cheyenne nervous," he groaned, swinging an arm around my shoulders.

"We got it," Travis said, covering for him. He glanced at David as a warning.

"All right," he mumbled, hands on his hips, staring at David before exiting through the back of the stage.

"All right, so!" David said, bringing us into a group huddle. "We got this. We're gonna blow those agents off their asses and send 'em straight back to...where are they from again?" he questioned at the end, looking between us.

"L.A.?" I said, raising an eyebrow and smirking at his speech.

"Yeah, L.A.!" He said.

"Okay. Let's just remember what we're gonna do and do our vocals really quick," I said, breaking the huddle.

Fifteen minutes later, the host was at the microphone speaking in Italian to the crowd. He translated to English for any tourists.

"Ready?" David said, already jumping with excitement. I just nodded.

"Yyyep," Travis said.

"I'd like to welcome tonight, returning to the stage from Oklahoma, United States..." the host's voice echoed across the audience. Some people started clapping and cheering.

"Cheyenne Hamm and her band, David and Travis!" he finished with his thick Italian accent, clapping above his head. We all made our appearance, running out onto the stage. The three stools were set up for our first song and our guitars were sitting on their stands. We took our seats and picked up our guitars.

"Hey. I'm Cheyenne and this is my brother Travis," I spoke into the mic and motioned to them as I introduced. My shyness was back. "And our friend David. We're gonna sing some songs for you and we hope you guys like them."

The crowd cheered and clapped and the lights focused on us.

"First, I gotta ask," I said, strumming absentmindedly. "How many...Taylor Swift fans do we have here tonight?" People broke out into whoops and screams at that, answering my question. Travis and David laughed, which eased my nervousness.

"Great," I laughed softly. I looked at them and they nodded. I began the repetitive strumming of the song. The crowd quieted down as it began and I started the first words.

[A/N: Okay, this was really difficult to do because there's three of them. But the fonts are gonna go like this:

 **Bold = David**

 _Italics = Cheyenne_

Underlined = Travis

Any mixes of any of these mean they're singing together and harmonizing (i.e. bold and italics means Cheyenne and David singing together. Parentheses means that someone is singing in the background (like overlapping) while someone else is singing the main part. This is really complicated, I know, but this cover was by Anthem Lights and they harmonize a lot. But if you want to know what it would sound like, look up Taylor Swift Mashup by Anthem Lights on YouTube and you'll see what I mean. It's a great mashup! Okay, back to the story! *ducks out*)

 _We were both young when I first saw you_

 _I close my eyes and the flashback starts, I'm standing there_

 _On a balcony in summer air_

David joined me next in guitar playing. The crowd cheered at the beginning phrase. It was one of the most well-known Taylor Swift songs.

 _See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns_

 _See you make your way through the crowd, you say hello_

 _Little did I know_

 **That I was Romeo, I was throwing pebbles**

 **And your daddy said stay away from Juliet**

 **I was crying on the staircase, begging you please don't go**

 **'Cause you belong with me**

Travis joined in on guitar and overlapped with David. The girls had screamed when David had his solo and he had grinned through it.

(If you could see that I'm the one who understands you)

Been here all along, so why can't you see

You belong with me

 **Standing by, waiting out your back door**

 **All this time, how could you not know, baby**

 **You belong with me**

You belong with me

I strummed solo when my turn came again.

 _I'm so glad you made time to see me_

 _How's life? Tell me, how's your family?_

 _I haven't seen them in a while_

 _You've been good, busier than ever_

 _We small talk, work and the weather_

 _Your guard is up, and I know why_

 _Because the last time you saw me_

 _ **Is still burned in the back of your mind**_

 _ **You gave me roses, and I left them there to die**_

 _ **So this is me swallowing my pride**_

 _ **Standing in front of you saying I'm sorry for that night**_

 _ **And I go back to December all the time**_

 _ **It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you**_

 _ **Wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine**_

 _ **And I go back to December all the time**_

I began the next phrase of the song and everyone clapped with the tempo of the song.

 _Someday I'll be_ _ **living in a big 'ol city**_

 _ **And all you're ever gonna be is mean**_

(Ohhhh)

 _ **Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me**_

 _ **And all you're ever gonna be is mean**_

 _ **Why you gotta be so**_ _(mean?)_

 **Don't you worry your** **pretty little mind**

 **People throw rocks at things that shine**

 **And life makes love look hard**

 _(Why you gotta be so mean?)_

 **The stakes are high**

 **The water's rough**

 **But this love is ours**

 _(We are_ _ **never) ever ever**_

(This love is ours)

 _ **Getting back together, we**_

(This love is ours)

 _ **Are never, ever ever**_

 _ **Getting back together**_

('Cause this love is ours)

 _ **I knew you were trouble when you walked in**_

(We are never getting back together)

 _ **So shame on me now, flew me to places I'd never been**_

(No, we are never getting back together)

 _ **'Till you put me down, oh, I knew you were trouble when you walked in**_

(No, we are never getting back together)

 _ **So shame on me now, flew me to places I'd never been**_

 **I'm feeling twenty-two**

Two

 _Two_

 **(A/N: Since there's only three of them and like five of the Anthem Lights, I had to type it as just three harmonizations instead of five. I also do this in other places of the song.)**

 **Losing her was blue like I'd never known**

Missing her was **dark gray, all alone**

 **Forgetting her was** _ **like trying to know somebody you never met**_

Loving her was red

 _ **(Re-e-e-ed, re-e-e-ed)**_

So red

 _ **(Re-e-e-ed, re-e-e-ed)**_

Loving her was red

So red

 _ **(Re-e-e-ed, re-e-e-ed)**_

 **Loving her was red**

 _(Re-e-e-ed, re-e-e-ed)_

 **So red**

 _(Re-e-e-ed, re-e-e-ed)_

 **Loving her was red**

 **So red**

David played the last chord and everyone screamed their heads off. Applause came from all over and flashes were seen from cell phones. Travis adjusted his ear piece as we said thank you. My nerves were gone now from the feeling of harmonizing with my band mates. We got up from our stools and moved them to the side of the stage. David put on his bass and I grabbed the electric guitar while Travis moved back to the drums. I moved the microphone that Travis sang from to the side also. I went back to my own mic and looked to them both to see if they were ready. David nodded and Travis gave a thumbs up. I nodded back and spoke into the mic.

"All right. We've performed a song for the teens. But what about the older folks in here? Can I ask how many mid thirties I have? Let me hear you," I said. There were cheers from various parts of the crowd, but not as many as the teens.

"Twenties? Mid twenties?" I asked. That's when the most cheers erupted. I nodded.

"All right. For all you older folks, we'd like to give you a flashback to the 1980's," I said, turning back to Travis and nodding at him to start. He complied and began tapping his foot on the pedal that held the cymbal. The people from the soundboard added the extra background. I played the small riff that came before the interlude and the adults in the audience whooped as they recognized the famous Don Henley song. David joined in on bass and I looked out into the audience as I sang.

 _Nobody on the road_

 _Nobody on the beach_

 _I feel it in the air_

 _Summer's out of reach_

 _Empty lake, empty street_

 _The sun goes down alone_

 _I'm driving by your house_

 _Though I know you're not home_

 _But I can see you_

 _Your brown skin shining in the sun_

 _You got your hair combed back_

 _And your sunglasses on, baby_

 _I can tell you my love for you will still be strong_

 _After the boys of summer are gone_

As I looked down at my guitar to play the interlude between, the adults kept cheering and clapping. I smiled and goosebumps rose on my skin. I looked at David quickly. He noticed and grinned at me as if he knew. I grinned back and turned back to the mic for the second verse. The emotion was sneaking in on my voice and I was beginning to bounce slightly.

 _I never will forget those nights_

 _I wonder if it was a dream_

 _Remember how you made me crazy?_

 _Remember how I made you scream?_

 _But I don't understand what happened to our love_

 _But babe, I'm gonna get you back_

 _I'm gonna show you what I'm made of_

 _And I can see you_

 _Your brown skin shining in the sun_

 _I can see you walking real slow_

 _And you're smiling at everyone_

 _I can tell you my love for you will still be strong_

 _After the boys of summer are gone_

While we played the bridge, the lights interchanged with the electronic beats. David and I went into Guitar Hero mode, moving toward each other and leaning back like rock stars. Eventually we were sunk down on our knees. The adults were still cheering and I quickly got up and moved back to the mic.

 _Out on the road today_

 _I saw a DEADHEAD sticker on a Cadillac_

 _A little voice inside my head said,_

 _"Don't look back, you can never look back"_

 _I thought I knew what love was, what did I know?_

 _Those days are gone forever_

 _I should just let them go, but_

 _I can see you_

 _Your brown skin shining in the sun_

 _You got that top pulled down_

 _And the radio on, baby_

 _I can tell you my love for you will still be strong_

 _After the boys of summer are gone_

 _I can see you_

 _Your brown skin shining in the sun_

 _You got that hair slicked back_

 _And those Wayfarers on, baby_

 _I can tell you my love for you will still be strong_

 _After the boys of summer are gone_

Once again, David and I went into Guitar Hero mode, edging toward each other. We were grinning and played until the end of the song. The crowd burst into applause and whistles. I high-fived David (which he returned) and then he pulled me into one of his bone-crushing hugs that I'd been recently receiving.

"Nice job, dudette," he said proudly in my ear over the roar of the crowd.

"You too," I said before we released each other and went back to our own mics. I smiled shyly as the whistles kept coming.

"Thank you," I said.

"Hey, how ya feelin', Italy?!" David yelled enthusiastically into the mic. They responded to him with louder cheers and whistles. I could see the sweat on his face from the lights, but I couldn't see how much he was sweating through his white T-shirt. I chuckled at him and took the electric guitar off and put it on its stand. I switched it for the acoustic and plugged its corresponding cord to the amp in. David took the electric from me since he would be playing it.

"Photograph is next," I told him. He nodded and went back to his mic. I checked with them to make sure they were ready before I began. The lights came up again and David harmonized with me lightly (A/N: I'm just going by what I hear on the original tracks.)

 _Look at this photograph_

 _Every time I do, it makes me laugh_

 _How did our eyes get so red?_

 _And what the heck is on Joey's head?_

 _And this is where I grew up_

 _I think the present owner fixed it up_

 _I never knew we'd ever went without_

 _The second floor is hard for sneaking out_

 _And this is where I went to school_

 _Most of the time I had better things to do_

 _Criminal record says I broke in twice_

 _I must've done it half a dozen times_

 _I wonder if it's too late_

 _Should I go back and try to graduate?_

 _Life's better now than it was back then_

 _If I was them, I wouldn't let me in_

 _Oh, oh, oh_

 _Oh, God, I, I_

 _Every memory of looking out the back door_

 _I had the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor_

 _It's hard to say it, time to say it_

 _Goodbye, Goodbye_

 _Every memory of walking out the front door_

 _I found the photo of a friend that I was looking for_

 _It's hard to say it, time to say it_

 _Goodbye, Goodbye_

Travis sang with us during the chorus while David harmonized. My eyes were closed as I was singing and playing the chords.

 _Remember the old arcade_

 _Blew every dollar that we ever made_

 _The cops hated us hanging out_

 _They said somebody went and burned it down_

 _We used to listen to the radio_

 _And sing along with every song we know_

 _We said someday we'd find out how it feels_

 _To sing to more than just a steering wheel_

 _Kim's the first girl I kissed_

 _I was so nervous that I nearly missed_

 _She's had a couple of kids since then_

 _I haven't seen her since God knows when_

 _Oh, oh, oh_

 _Oh, God, I, I_

 _Every memory of looking out the back door_

 _I had the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor_

 _It's hard to say it, time to say it_

 _Goodbye, Goodbye_

 _Every memory of walking out the front door_

 _I found the photo of a friend that I was looking for_

 _It's hard to say it, time to say it_

 _Goodbye, Goodbye_

I briefly backed away from the mic and looked down while I played the short interlude before the bridge.

 _I miss that town_

 _I miss the faces_

 _You can't erase_

 _You can't replace it_

 _I miss it now_

 _I can't believe it_

 _So hard to stay_

 _Too hard to leave it_

 _If I could relive those days_

 _I know the one thing that would never change_

 _Every memory of looking out the back door_

 _I had the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor_

 _It's hard to say it, time to say it_

 _Goodbye, Goodbye_

 _Every memory of walking out the front door_

 _I found the photo of a friend that I was looking for_

 _It's hard to say it, time to say it_

 _Goodbye, Goodbye_

 _Look at this photograph_

 _Every time I do, it makes me laugh_

 _Every time I do, it makes me_

We played the last chords and more applause started. I was sweating now and trying to catch my breath. As I looked out into the audience, I saw people taking pictures, cheering, and clapping above their heads. My eyes then glanced upon a girl with pale blond hair and blue eyes.

And pale skin. Unnaturally pale. She was a spot of white in a sea of tan people. I did a double take, but when my eyes sought her, she was gone. I blinked and quickly snapped out of it. I took off the acoustic and gave it to David. He took off the electric and put it on the stand while taking the acoustic with his other hand. I took the other acoustic that was waiting on its stand for me and turned back to the mic.

"Okay. So, we know that Italy is..one of the countries of love," I began slowly, putting the strap around my shoulder. The crowd cheered.

"So, we want to play a song for all you couples in the audience. So, grab your partner, and..have this dance," I finished. I looked to David. He nodded at me, back at his own mic. I mouthed the count of three so we could start at the same time. He watched and we strummed our different parts of the beginning. I lifted my head to the mic. **(A/N: I'm going to use bold for when David harmonizes with her because this song is a duet. So, the key is the same. Italics is Cheyenne and bold is David)**

 _Take my hand_

 _I'll teach you to dance_

 _Spin you around_

 _Won't let you fall down_

 _Would you let me lead?_

 _You could step on my feet_

 _Give it a try_

 _It'll be all right_

 _ **The room's hush hush and now's our moment**_

 _Take it in, feel it all and hold it_

 _ **Eyes on you, eyes on me, we're doing this right**_

'Cause _**lovers dance when they're feeling in love**_

 _ **Spotlight shining, it's all about us**_

 _It's a-a-all_

 _About us_

 _ **And every heart in the room will melt**_

 _ **This is a feeling I've never felt, but**_

 _ **It's a-a-all about us**_

 **Suddenly, I'm feeling brave**

 **I don't know what's got into me**

 **Why I feel this way**

 **Can we dance real slow?**

 **Can I hold you? Can I hold you close?**

 _ **The room's hush hush and now's our moment**_

 _ **Take it in, feel it all and hold it**_

 _ **Eyes on you, eyes on me, we're doing this right**_

 _ **'Cause lovers dance when they're feeling in love**_

 _ **Spotlight shining, it's all about us**_

 _It's a-a-all_

 _About us_

 _ **And every heart in the room will melt**_

 _ **This is a feeling I've never felt, but**_

 _ **It's a-a-all about us**_

I looked to David, putting the question of the lyrics on my face. He grinned at me and answered back.

 _Do you hear that, love? They're playing our song_

 **Do you think we're ready? Oh, I'm really feeling it**

 _(Do you hear that, love?)_

 _Do you hear that, love?_

 **Do you hear that, love? They're playing our song**

 _Do you think we're ready yet? Oh, I'm really feeling it_

 _Do you hear that, love?_

 **Do you hear that, love?**

 _Do you hear that, love? They're playing our song_

 **(Do you think we're ready yet? Oh, I'm really feeling it)**

 _Do you hear that, love?_

 _ **Do you hear that, love?**_

I looked out to the audience then and saw that nearly everyone was slow dancing with a partner.

 _Lovers dance when they're feeling in love_

 _Spotlight shining, it's all about us_

 **(It's all about us)**

 _(It's a-a-all)_

 _Do you hear that, love?_

 _ **Every heart in the room will melt**_

 _ **This is a feeling I've never felt, but**_

 _It's a-a-all_ _ **about us**_

 _ **'Cause lovers dance when they're feeling in love**_

 _ **Spotlight shining, it's all about us**_

 _It's a-a-all_

 _ **About us**_

 **And every heart in the room will melt**

 _ **This is a feeling I've never felt, but**_

 _ **It's a-a-all**_

 _ **It's all about us**_

We played the last chords of the simple, sweet song and the couples broke apart and clapped. A few whistled. Just then, the host came from back stage and spoke into the mic in Italian first, then English.

"All right, guys, we're gonna take a break, let them rest," he said. "And then they'll finish up with a couple more songs, eh?"

The crowd's applause lessened, but I think they understood. I took my guitar off and put it on the stand. The people with the grey shirts started climbing onto the stage, removing instruments that we wouldn't need for the rest of the show. I made my way backstage where bottles of water were waiting for us in the hand of one of the security guards.

"Thank you," I said politely, taking one. David and Travis, both sweating more than I, burst through with whoops and high fives.

"That was legit, man! We killed it!" David exclaimed, shaking my brother by the shoulders. Their shirts had sweat stains on them and their hair was matted with it.

"Good job, man," Travis said, laughing at him and patting him on the back.

"Good job, guys," I said to them, joining in on the high fives. David ruffled my hair and I hugged my brother.

"You did good," Travis said, returning it.

"You rocked, dudette," David said with his signature happy grin. "They're all gonna cry when we go back out there!"

The security guard offered them bottles of water, which they gladly took.

"Thanks, man," David said happily. The security guard just nodded, a serious expression on his face. Travis thanked him also. When David started rambling about how the agents were going to love us, my thoughts reeled back to the girl I saw in the audience. She too, had blue eyes like the boy I saw, and the same pale skin. It wasn't a coincidence. Something was going on.

You're leaving tomorrow. Soon you'll forget all about it.

Except that I couldn't.

I needed to shake this off, but something in my gut was telling me something was wrong. Very wrong.

I didn't even notice that Robert had walked in until I saw him with a proud grin, clapping his big hands. I stayed quiet and listened as if I didn't miss a thing.

"...You were marvelous, fantastic. Ya blew 'em away," he said, reaching us. He put his hands on his round hips, revealing an aqua colored polo shirt. I saw the flash on his iPhone 6 go off, but he didn't seem to notice. "They're out there fighting over ya! They said you were the most talented performer since Shakira! Minus the hips, of course. No offense." He said, holding up his hand quickly. I shook my head.

"None taken, I can't dance," I said, chasing it with a chuckle. I think it came out wrong. Calm down, _chica_.

"Right, well, I guess this is where we part ways," he said awkwardly, glancing at the ground. Wait, what?

"What do you mean?" I asked confusedly. "Aren't you going to Rome with us?"

"Look, kid," he said, shaking his head. "Once you get to Rome...I won't be accompanying you. I got other people to find too. Now, as I said, they really like you. Love ya. But you said you wanted to sing live. You didn't want any studio recordings or anything." He waved his hand and shook his head to clarify that. He didn't sound so happy anymore. He was happy that they loved us, but he...wasn't?

"Right," I said slowly.

What was Robert talking about? They liked us, and that was good. That's what he wanted, wasn't it? I was confused.

"What do you mean, bro?" David said, confused also. Robert glanced at David, probably for calling him "bro", before continuing.

"You all agreed not to be signed," he said with a sigh. "Not yet, anyway. I told them that, they flew in anyway. They like you, they really like you." He kept mumbling to himself.

"What's wrong, then?" I asked confusedly. Robert put one hand in his pocket with the other rubbing the goatee. My butt was starting to tingle.

"Can we get to the point, please?" David groaned. He was always wanting to get right to the point. Robert glanced at him before answering me.

"I gotta go to the States," he said. "And when I do, I might not be responsible for what happens after that. My flight leaves at midnight tonight."

What? Was he saying what I think he was saying?

No.

"So you mean that we have no say in regards to our career?" I said.

"Those agents are above me, kid," he said apologetically, shrugging his shoulders. "My job is to find the talent, not manage it. But Kelly is the boss, she knows what you want." He said, trying to comfort us, but it sounded like he was telling it to himself rather than us. I looked to my brother and then David.

"That's...not right," Travis said, seemingly at a loss for words.

"The fuck, man?!" David said, his desperate mood now an enraged one. "You ripped us off!" He started towards Robert, but I pulled him back by the wrist, shaking my head at him. I looked at Robert.

"It's okay, Rob," I said shortly. "I'm sure Kelly will help. Thank you for telling us."

He only nodded his head and looked at his watch.

"You better get back out there," he said. I could hear the regret in his voice. "Time's almost up." He looked at us then.

"You're all great. You're gonna be great," He said, the over pompous Robert coming out again. I could tell he still wasn't happy, though. He held out his hand to shake, but I could hear it.

This was goodbye. Robert wasn't coming back.

I reached forward and shook his hand, looking into his brown eyes.

"Thank you for bringing us here," I said sincerely, smiling despite the news. "You got us further to where we wanted to go."

"It's what I do, kid," He smiled proudly before shaking my brother's and David's hand. I could tell David squeezed his hand a little too hard. Robert then waved awkwardly before departing, leaving us standing there. As he was leaving, he took out his phone from the flash notification. You could feel the heaviness in the air.

"Time to go, Miss Hamm," the security guard said with authority. "Intermission's over. The host is about to announce you."

"Okay," I said, swallowing the lump in my throat. I looked at my band mates. My friends. My family. "Guys?"

They looked to me. David's expression was hard and I could tell he was trying to contain himself. Travis just looked disappointed. I sucked in a breath. This was us. Just a small town trio of kids who loved to sing and loved to perform. So that's who we would be. We would show the agents what we wanted, and it wasn't to be controlled.

"Let's kick them all the way back to L.A.," I said, repeating David's words. His face softened, then broke out into a small grin.

"Oh, hell yeah," he said, high-fiving me before crushing me with a hug. Travis just chuckled.

"All right, lez do it," he said, high-fiving David and me. We returned it and made our way back onstage just as the host was welcoming us back.

"All right, the break is over now," he said, choosing his English words carefully. "Now, let's welcome them back, eh?" He clapped as we reentered the stage. Only my keyboard was set up along with a microphone in front of it. The drums were still there along with David's bass on its stand. He grinned at us before exiting the stage. I looked at David.

"Ready?" I asked. He nodded, his famous grin still in place. Travis wouldn't be singing or playing in this song, but he took a seat back at his drums anyway. He didn't sing a lot, but he didn't mind because he loved the drums more than anything.

"Good luck," my brother called to me before David and I moved to the front of the stage. I looked back at him.

"Thanks," I said, moving to my keyboard at the front. I adjusted the mic while David stood at his mic.

"Hello," I said, smiling. Everyone cheered briefly in response. David thanked them and girls squealed.

"All right, so...this song...is going to be a very raw cover because it's...very relevant to us," I spoke slowly. "We're just a trio of kids from a small town, y'know? But we love that. And...so, we hope that you can all see this part of us through this song. This one's called Titanium." The lights went down then, and the people clapped. The lights softly spread down on David and me. I placed my fingers on the beginning keys and slowly played the originally electronic/pop song, turning it into a slow piano song instead. I took my time with the notes and the words. I wanted this to mean something. And it did. This was for all of us. Our friendship. We always stuck together.

 **(A/N: bold and italics means David's harmonizing with her. She wanted it to mean something! Get that message out, yo! And this is not the David Guetta ft. Sia version. I got the sound idea from Christina Grimmie's cover of this song, but my character doesn't try to copy that of Sia's voice. She's her own person haha. You should check it out on YouTube, it's a really powerful cover. This is a slow song annnnnd yeah. Enjoy!)**

 _You're shout it out_

 _But I can't hear a word you say_

 _I'm talking loud, not saying much_

 _I'm criticized, but all your bullets ricochet_

 _You shoot me down, but I get up_

 _I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose_

 _ **Fire away, fire away**_

 _Ricochet, you take your aim_

 _ **Fire away, fire away**_

 _You shoot me down, but I won't fall_

 _I am titanium_

 _You shoot me down, but I won't fall_

 _I am titanium_

When I reached the high octave of the chorus and held the last note out, some people cheered at my achievement. I cut the note off and let there be a pause before I started the second verse, the piano the only source of music. I could see the glow of a few lighters in the audience.

 _Cut me down_

 _But it's you who'll have further to fall_

 _Ghost town and haunted love_

 _Raise your voice_

 _Sticks and stones may break my bones_

 _I'm talking loud, not saying much_

 _I'm_ _ **bulletproof, nothing to lose**_

 _ **Fire away, fire away**_

 _Ricochet, you take your aim_

 _ **Fire away, fire away**_

 _You shoot me down, but I won't fall_

 _ **I am titanium**_

 _You shoot me down, but I won't fall_

 _I am titanium_

 _I am titanium_

 _I am titanium_

 _Stone heart, machine guns_

 _Firing at the ones who run_

 _Stone heart loves bulletproof glass_

I held out and reverberated the note on "glass", closing my eyes. More cheers and whistles erupted out. I let the pause be longer. When I turned my head to look at David, my brother had joined us. I smiled and motioned him over with my head. He complied and we shared my mic. He sang wherever David did. My fingers pressed down on the keys and I let my voice go back to be a bit quieter, but it crescendoed as I repeated the lines. I looked at David and he joined me, his face breaking out into a smile. All three of us sang the last words of the song.

 _Shoot me down, but I won't fall_

 _I am titanium_

 _Shoot me down, but I won't fall_

 _I am titanium_

 _ **I am titanium**_

 _ **Shoot me down, but I won't fall**_

 _ **I am titanium**_

 _ **Shoot me down, but I won't fall**_

 _ **I am titanium**_

 _ **I am titanium**_

I planked down on the last notes of the song and the audience cheered louder than they have all night. The lights changed and more of them were on us. I grinned at my two band mates and they returned them. David pulled us into a group hug.

"I love you guys," he said over the cheers. We both laughed and hugged him back.

"Love you too, man," Travis said.

"Yes, we love you too," I said at the same time as Travis. I broke the group hug so we could finish with our last song. The one we always dedicated to dad. Travis went back to the drums and David grabbed the bass. I went back to my mic.

"Thank you," I said, the cheers dying down. "Okay, this is our last song for tonight. It's been a pleasure to play for you tonight. And we hope to see you again, Italy. Thank you." I said, and they all applauded.

I looked to Travis and David. When they gave me the okay, I looked down at the keys and played the first notes of dad's song.

 **Ahhh, I know, I know! I'm evil. You're probably all wondering what the flippity flip the song is. But I can't say it yet because the reveal of it is important! It'll come out soon.**

 **Did anyone notice Robert's behavior? Is our favorite grumpy agent getting attached? I know you'll all miss him, but don't worry, he'll be back soon! R &R please!**

 **The songs for this chapter were (by appearance):**

 **Failure by Breaking Benjamin (from their new album Dark Before Dawn)**

 **Those Shoes by the Eagles**

 **Taylor Swift Mashup by Anthem Lights**

 **Boys of Summer by Don Henley**

 **Photograph by Nickelback**

 **Titanium by David Guetta ft. Sia**

 **MYSTERY SONG HAHAHAHA**

 **You guys should check out these songs if you haven't ever heard them, they're really amazing. (Especially Don Henley, *cough cough*!)**


	9. When in Volterra

**APOV**

"That human is going to get what's coming to her," Jane yelled, which she didn't do often. She usually preserved her anger for soft tones, but she was livid after discovering the human was giving another performance in town square from Demetri the previous night. She went to see for herself and immersed herself in the crowd only to find that her vengeful gift of pain did not work on the human. I was livid as well, and the fact that my sister was upset made me upset. I stood and walked smoothly to her, placing my hands on her shoulders.

"Sister, I am just as appalled as you are," I said, trying to calm her down. "There were many humans around. Were you distracted by their scents?" She looked up at me, the flaring anger toning down on her face.

"When am I ever distracted, brother? I am always focused," she said, narrowing her eyes at me. "Do you question my attention span?"

 _Nice going, big brother. Way to anger your sister._

"Of course not," I said calmly. "You are the most clever of the Volturi. I am only worried for you. We will find another way to torment the human. When she arrives, then she will be all ours."

 _Mostly yours_ , a voice in the back of my head nagged at me. I pushed it away. The human was not my mate, no matter how many times Aro said it. It was annoying enough that Heidi was shopping for her clothes and Felix and Demetri were teasing me about it. Of course they keep their mouths shut now, after I unleashed my gift on them. Also, Marcus's looks in my direction were not so pleasing either.

"Brother, she is not a pet," Jane sneered. "She is food. I do believe you're starting to waver your priorities." I sighed, though the oxygen was not necessary, and kissed my sister's forehead.

"Jane, Heidi will be here soon with our lunch. We most likely will not be here when she arrives. We are going on assignment tonight, remember? A few vampires have committed a crime near northern India," I explained indifferently. Aro had called us to the throne room only for us to find out that a few vampires were not disposing of their humans properly. "You shall get to use your gift as you please, then." I smiled at the end, hoping to comfort her. I succeeded as I saw her smile evilly at that. She lifted her chin.

"Dear Alec, you always were the rational one," she said quietly. Her perfect tiny smile stood perfectly in place on her full, pale pearl lips that were identical to mine, aside from the color. She wound her tiny arms around me in an embrace, her head leaning against my dead heart that would never beat. "I love you, brother."

"As I love you, sister," I said smoothly, holding her to me. "As I love you."

"Promise me, Alec," Jane said. "You must promise me you will not fall in love with the human." She pulled back and looked up at me. Ah, Jane. Sister. I would give her the world if I could. I would die if it meant she got to live. How could a human ever compare to my dear sister Jane?

When we return from our assignment to northern India, I would be sure to agonize and ignore the human. Jane is the only person I truly love in any way. She was my only family. We're all each other has, and that's how it always will be.

Alec and Jane. The Witch Twins.

"I promise, sister. I will never love anyone else."

 **CPOV**

"David, come on, it's nine. You have to get up if you wanna go see the town," I said, shaking his bare shoulder. He was practically hanging off the bed with his hair splattered in his face. He might have had too much room service ice cream last night, resulting in the ultimate sugar crash. He and Travis promised not to drink when we went on the road, so ice cream was David's substitute. I heard him grumble something.

"No, mom," he mumbled, turning his head the other way. "Later."

"Come on, man," Travis tried to help. "We're gonna eat all the Italian food without you."

"David," I tried again, shaking him a little harder. "Get up, man. We're running out of time. We'll put Doritos on your pizza."

He whipped his head around toward us then, eyes wide open.

"For real?" He said, trying to get past the sleep in his voice. His light brown hair was in his eyes and sticking out in all directions. I nodded.

"Yep," Travis said, trying not to laugh. His lips were mashed into a line. I did the same.

"Nacho cheese on your pizza," I agreed. "You in?"

"Hell yes, I'm in!" he said, grinning and scrambling out of bed. He ran into the bathroom. "Dibs on the shower first!" I heard before he slammed it.

"Do you think he noticed that we already showered?" I asked.

"Nope," Travis said, laughing, and went to go watch TV. We were going to check out the rest of Volterra before we had to leave for our flight at two. Kelly had apologized for Robert's leaving last night and decided to change the flight time after we met the agents, who were letting us see the town today. Er, well, the agent of choice.

 _"Hi, Phillip Mays, wonderful to meet you. You were great," one of the agents said enthusiastically, shaking each of our hands. He was shorter than me, standing at 5'3" with a comb-over of brown hair and blue eyes. He looked to be in his mid-thirties and he was wearing a fancy suit. The other three agents introduced themselves. The one next to Phillip was tall and skinny, about my brother's height, with golden blonde hair that was perfectly coiffed and blue eyes. He looked to be in his mid-to-late twenties. He shook my hand and showed his pearly white teeth. He also had lightly tanned skin which was clad in a gray dress shirt with a black jacket over it, long khaki slacks, and (probably Gucci and very expensive) brown shoes. (A/N: I'll try to put links for all the agents in my profile as soon as I find look-a-likes lol. I'm just making up the appearances as they pop into my head.)_

 _"Danny Richfield, miss," he said, lightly shaking my hand as if it was delicate. "I must say you have quite the singing talent. My ears were quite pleased with your songs of choice. And may I say your name is as beautiful as you are." I saw his eyes briefly roam where they pleased and then David and Travis were in front of me._

 _"David Cross, man, good to meet you too," he said, roughly shaking his hand. I could see him glaring at Danny. "Look at her like that again-"_

 _"Daniel, please have some manners," Kelly said sternly, interrupting David but still sounding so gosh darn sweet. How does she do that? I glanced at her, mentally thanking her. Her long black hair was pin straight and was as glossy as ever, ending at the top of her butt. Her eyelids were gray and black in a smoky look and her lips were painted nude but I could see the natural pink behind it. She wore a black sleeveless dress that hugged her snugly and had an open circle above her chest with a gold square holding the open fabric together. Circling her hips only three quarters of the way was a single piece of cloth, making it look like a ruffle. (A/N: Dress link on profile. Sorry, not a good explanation lol. But it is pretty! I'd buy it myself!) On her feet were shiny black peep toe heels, making her legs go on for miles as usual. Danny flashed a mischievous grin at her as if they were old friends._

 _"Sorry, Kells," he said. "I know a beautiful girl when I see one."_

 _"And you shall see your unemployment papers when I mail them," she said simply, raising her eyebrow. He quickly lost his grin and turned to David, shaking his hand and mumbling a greeting before shaking Travis's hand._

 _"That's my sister," I heard him say warningly as I was shaking the last agent's hand._

 _"Hello," the last agent said quietly, shaking my hand gently. "Your performance was exceptional."_

 _"Thank you," I said politely, waiting for his name, but it never came. He simply released my hand and folded his hands in front of him like he was a bodyguard._

 _"I apologize, this is Ned," Kelly said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "He gets shy sometimes, but he's very impressed with your singing."_

 _I nodded my understanding._

 _"We flew all the way from Los Angeles when Kelly called us," Phillip said in his cheery voice, taking control of the conversation after we all shook hands. He put his hands in his pockets like Danny was doing. "It was well worth the trip."_

 _I remembered what Robert said about them being above him and wondered if all three of them were going to follow us to Rome. Would they all argue on who got us?_

 _"You'd be very good in Vegas," Danny said, sporting a grin again._

 _"Daniel," Kelly said lightly, though it held a warning. His grin faltered and re-worded his sentence._

 _"I mean you would get the attention of everybody," he said through gritted teeth._

 _"So, you ever considered performing anywhere else? Disneyland, perhaps?" Phillip said, grinning at the end and raising an eyebrow._

 _"Robert said we weren't gonna be signed," David said confusedly, flashing his eyes between him and Kelly. Danny chose to laugh out loud then, throwing his head back and clapping his hands._

 _"Robert? Oh, that's grand, sure," Danny exploded with laughter, and I swear he sounded British for a minute. "Robert giving in to a request. That's lovely, really."_

 _"Actually, he did say that," Kelly said calmly, looking at David. "These three men know that, but they wanted to come and see you perform. They hold special reservations for other locations. I'm sorry Robert had to leave on such short notice; he had other business to attend to. But I promised him I would pass the message along for your request to remain more private."_

 _"Oh yeah, we understand completely," Phillip said pompously. He had a loud voice for someone shorter than me. "We were just glad we got the opportunity! I reaaaallly liked that song you sang. Titanium? That was a good one." He wagged his finger at us with a raised eyebrow and a knowing smile._

 _"Beautiful song, I liked the touch," Danny added, coming down from his laughter. "Better than Sia herself. Won't see that song the same anymore. Also, the ending song. Fantastic! Didn't know you were a fan of that song."_

 _"Thank you," I said simply. Man, I never smile. But then again, my mom said I wouldn't ever smile when she tried to take a picture of me as a baby and as a toddler. I got the quiet, serious, not-wanting-to-smile gene from dad. Except when I was having fun with Travis and David; that was another story._

 _"Yeah, well, if you're shitting us again-excuse me-" David said to Kelly. "Then we're going back. Right, guys?" He folded his arms and looked at us._

 _"What's the deal here?" Travis asked, getting just as frustrated as I. Danny shrugged._

 _"Easy," he said. "Wherever you wanna go next, we take you there. Think of us as chauffeurs. We may be music agents, but Kelly here makes sure all her clients are comfortable."_

 _"When you depart to Rome tomorrow, one of them will go with you. I will have to return to my office in Los Angeles. I will, however, make sure that they fulfill all your requests. You will not be signed a contract unless you so choose and they will even let you return to the States. If you choose not to be signed and choose to be on your own, we will completely respect your decision. Robert thought you would be interested in becoming more public when he met you all. I apologize for the misunderstanding," Kelly said politely. "It is up to you who will go with you to Rome. They all have special reservations under my name and will let you decide where you want to travel after you perform in Rome."_

 _First Robert left, now Kelly is? And not to mention, leaving us with complete strangers? It must have showed on my face because Kelly spoke again._

 _"Is that all right with you all?" she asked in her motherly voice. "Is there a concern?"_

 _I opened my mouth for a split second to speak, but decided against it and shook my head. I didn't want to make it more complicated for her. She'd already done so much. Telling her I was uncomfortable with these strangers might lead her to call in more agents, and I didn't want that._

 _"So who's going with us?" David asked flatly, his eyes boring into Danny. Well, we all know who he didn't want. Travis looked at me and nudged my shoulder with his own._

 _"Who do you think?" he asked me. I shrugged._

 _"Who do you guys think?" I asked back, glancing between them. David's eyes scanned over the three choices._

 _"I'll keep my distance if that's what ya'll need. No problem," Phillip busted out, holding up his hands. "I'm very distance respectable. And if you want time for activities, I'm there. I gotta keep you in my sights, though."_

 _Danny lifted his brow and glanced sideways at him as if to say, "Kiss up." and then looked to us with a proud smile, his hands staying in his pockets._

 _"Of course, I'll make sure you get where you need to go, eat when you want, and have your privacy. I like to take care of my guests," he said like it was no big deal and his eyes flashed to me for a second. "And I'm serious about my work, believe it or not. I get you to Rome, you perform, then you decide from there. I'll even book an extra stay in the hotel if you like." He shrugged. David rolled his eyes. I looked to Ned last, unsure if he would say anything._

 _"As the other three have said, I will tend to your every whim," he said quietly. "I'll take you where you need to go, feed you when you want to eat, and anything else."_

 _All three were capable of their jobs, no doubt. The problem was that David didn't like Danny, I was unsure myself, and Travis looked like he already had his choice. They were all very nice, but I couldn't judge their characters. I couldn't judge anybody, it just wasn't nice. They did so much for us. They shouldn't have to do so much. We're just three simple people and I didn't understand it. Travis looked to me, his finger resting on the growing goatee on his chin._

 _"What do you think?" he asked again. I looked over Phillip, Danny and Ned._

 _"Ned," David said tonelessly. He looked to me. "What do you think, dudette? Who's good for the job?"_

 _"You guys pick," I said, looking at them both. "I trust you."_

 _With that, I walked away, letting my band mates decide. My head was reeling back to the girl I saw in the audience._

My phone started vibrating and I pulled it out of my shorts pocket. I didn't recognize the number and warily answered.

"Hello?"

"Hello," Ned answered back in his quiet voice, and I felt some relief. "I was just calling to see if you all were ready to go to town. I'm waiting down in the lobby for you."

"Oh," I said, looking around the room. Travis's attention was diverted away from the TV and on me now.

"Who is it?" he mouthed, remote in hand. I mouthed back.

"Ned." I heard the bathroom door open and a wet David scrubbing his hair with a towel came out. I went to the window and looked down. Sure enough, there was a fancy black Escalade waiting outside the hotel.

"Yes, we're ready. We'll be down in just a minute. Thanks, Ned," I replied nicely.

"Of course," he replied back, and we hung up. I turned around and David was wiggling his finger in his ear.

"Who was that?" He asked, looking at his finger. Oh, David. You goof ball.

"It was Ned, we have to go. He's waiting in the lobby, so you might wanna put your shoes on," I said. He seemed too focused on his finger and just nodded, turning to go find them. Travis was up from his spot on the couch, stretching.

"What are we seeing first?" I asked my brother while unplugging my charger and winding it up around my hand. He shrugged, fixing his shirt.

"I dunno. We'll see when we get there," he said. I didn't want to keep Ned waiting; we were already getting so much and we were on a time limit. I was also a little anxious to be leaving so soon because of the boy and the girl I saw at both my performances. I didn't know who they were, but I knew something was wrong. Pale skin. It was so pale. The eyes were the exact same color only because they were contacts. And...

 _"You can shut up so it won't hurt so much."_

There's only one explanation for the boy's teeth at my neck.

"All right, let's hit the town, dudes!" David said excitedly, coming in from the other room, clapping his hands together once. "I wanna get outta here and to Rome ASAP!"

"Lez do it," Travis said. "You have everything?"

"Yep!" David said. I looked around the room before nodding and we left the room, beds made, towels in the bathroom, TV off and furniture fixed. All the way down the elevator to the lobby, David and Travis were arguing about where to eat when lunch came around. Ned was waiting for us, his hands crossed like a bodyguard as usual. He was a little taller than Phillip, so I passed him by a few inches.

"You said I could put Doritos on it!" David argued.

"We said that to get you out of bed!" Travis said back as Ned checked us out of the hotel. He didn't talk much, and when he did, it was only when he was asking us questions. I decided to listen in on Travis and David's conversation to ease my nerves.

"You can't put Doritos on everything," Travis said, trying to reason with him. "Plus, you were fine the other day when we had the meat lover's pizza."

"That was before you gave me the idea of Doritos on pizza!" David was almost yelling now. He got very passionate about Doritos sometimes. I turned to them.

"Guys," I said over David, earning their attention. "Let's try something other than pizza today. We can find one of those food carts. Maybe they'll have sandwiches or something." I tried to resolve their argument.

"And you can eat your Doritos with it," I added at the end and shrugged. "I don't wanna argue before another gig."

"See? You're fine," Travis said to David, motioning his arms to me. "It's not the end of the world, bro."

"Oh yeah," David said like he just remembered something. "Sweet! Are we getting breakfast first though?" He patted his stomach.

"We have to ask Ned, dude," Travis said, pointing to Ned, who just finished checking us out.

"Are you all ready?" He asked quietly. I nodded at him and he began making his way to the door. "Follow me, then."

We all followed him, me leaving Travis and David behind to catch up to him.

"Do you know of any place that serves breakfast?" I asked nicely. He unlocked the car and nodded, briefly glancing my way.

"Of course," he said quietly. "When we get to town, we'll go to a cafe that serves the best crepes." He opened the passenger's side door for me while Travis and David got in the back. The tour bus was being driven to Rome by Danny while we would fly **. (A/N: I don't know how far away Volterra is from Rome, even though it's fictitious. But it's for the story!)**

"Thanks," I said, getting in. I didn't want him to feel awkward while the two boys in the back spoke of Zelda and high school memories. While he was making his way around to the driver's side, I told them that Ned was, in fact, letting us have breakfast.

"Aw, yes! I love you, Ned!" David said as if he was now his best friend. Ned had just opened the door when David made his proclaim. Ned glanced between me and David before getting into the car and starting it.

"Dude, dude," Travis mumbled, putting his hand on David's shoulder and shaking his head. We pulled out of the hotel's drive and onto the road. Town square was only half an hour away, and that half hour trip currently consisted of Travis and David talking about high school in the back and a quiet me and Ned in the front. That is, until he spoke up for the first time without being addressed first.

"I think it's admirable that you refuse to be signed," he said so quietly that I almost didn't hear. I turned my head from the window to the windshield. "Not everybody can surprise Kelly like that."

"Um, thanks," I replied awkwardly. Kelly was surprised? I thought it was just Robert. She was always calm and indifferent, though if she was surprised, she hid it well. But not everybody in the world who sang signed. Why is it such a surprise?

"You've got a true gift," he said, looking from the road to me for a second before returning his eyes back. "Kelly gets very picky most of the time. Not everyone catches her eye. Not anyone who doesn't need auto tune, anyway."

I had to chuckle at that as it lightened my mood a little. I didn't know if he was joking about the auto tune, but it was funny to me. I never worried about auto tuning or makeup or perfect outfits because it wasn't important. I loved the goosebumps on my skin when I got into a song and seeing my two best guys smiling with me when we performed. I loved the sweat and Guitar Hero mode.

"Dude, is that Breaking Benjamin? Turn it up! Turn it up!" David burst out then, bouncing in his seat. "This is their new song!"

I listened closely to the almost muted radio before looking to Ned for permission. He glanced in the rearview mirror and nodded. I turned the volume dial and the two boys in the back sang another one of Breaking Benjamin's new songs. I could tell they were head banging from the somewhat fading in and out of their voices. I could hear Travis thigh drumming. The bass vibrated the car and Ben's voice filled the car as the chorus was coming up. I sang quietly at first, looking out the window. The sun was trying to peek through the clouds.

 _We all fall down_

 _The pain goes on_

 _And I'll be the fire that dries the flood_

 _As I fight for one last prayer_

 _I keep holding on_

 _No love to believe in_

 _As I drag the devil down_

 _I will stand alone_

 _No longer defeated_

 _Stripped away_

 _We arise above it all_

 _Forgotten and betrayed_

 _We all fall down_

 _The pain goes on_

 _No better than before_

 _Still broken and afraid_

 _We all fall down_

 _The pain goes on_

 _And I'll be the cloud that hides the sun_

I smiled at their voices and couldn't help the giddy feeling inside me as I sang along louder, nodding my head and patting my hand with the beat. That soon grew with foot tapping.

 _As I fight for one last prayer_

 _I keep holding on_

 _No love to believe in_

 _As I drag the devil down_

 _I will stand alone_

 _No longer defeated_

 _I am falling to pieces, pained and used_

 _I know what I need and it's not you_

 _It's not you_

 _As I fight for one last prayer_

 _I keep holding on_

 _No love to believe in_

 _As I drag the devil down_

 _I will stand alone_

 _No longer defeated_

 _No longer defeated_

 _No longer defeated_

"Sweet," Travis said with his hinting surfer voice. I heard them high five in the back. The small smile I had stayed planted on my face. I loved those two.

"We killed it," David said. I glanced over at Ned and he was still focused on the road, his face straight as ever. Travis and David were discussing the memories of when they first discovered Breaking Benjamin, and I was wondering why Ned looked so uncomfortable. The rest of the car ride went like that; Ned and I being quiet, with Travis and David singing whenever they heard a song they liked.

When we finally reached town and Ned parked in an appropriate spot, David bolted out of the car immediately, stretching his legs. He was almost Travis's height, just a few inches shorter. They were both taller than me, nonetheless.

"Man, my legs," he groaned, stretching himself. I looked around, but didn't see a restaurant. There were small shops, boutiques, and people on foot with shopping bags.

"The restaurant is down a block," Ned said, pressing the lock button on the car, resulting in a high beep sound. "We aren't allowed to park directly in town square."

"A whole block?" David groaned. "I'm gonna starve!"

I rolled my eyes and smiled while Travis clapped him on the back.

"You'll be fine," he said like he was rolling his eyes too. "You won't even notice the distance with all the girls around."

"Follow me," Ned said, heading in the direction towards the center of town. We all followed while Travis held David's attention with the subject of Italian girls.

I wonder if that boy is Italian. He had dark hair like an Italian. But there was the slight British/English accent that he had when he spoke to me. His voice was so smooth, so perfect. His features were as well. High cheekbones, full lips...

Is my heart beating faster?

Okay, snap out of it. He tried to eat you. But if that girl from the concert was pale, why didn't she try to eat me, too?

Enough, you're over thinking.

Just look at the nice scenery. The cobblestone, the buildings, the shops. I didn't know if we'd ever come back to Italy to perform, but I knew when we got to Rome that I would be taking a lot of pictures. Especially of the Colosseum.

"The restaurant's not far from here," Ned said after five minutes of walking.

"Really? Where?" David said, whipping his head around for any sight of it.

"Maybe there's a music store here," Travis mused. "I could get new drum sticks."

"There's one in town. I'll allow you to shop for a while until we leave," Ned replied tonelessly.

"Aw, dude, we could get some new equipment! Remember you said your snare needed a new screw too?" David said, momentarily forgetting his look for the restaurant.

"Yeah, but it depends on how much it is," Travis said. "We still have the money Robert gave us, don't we?"

"I have it," I said absentmindedly, looking around at all the shops. I had gotten the money out of Travis's pants from the first gig so I could keep track of it. We had only used it on the restaurant we went to after that first gig, so we had plenty left. I would probably buy some sort of top to wear for Rome or something.

"How much is there?" Travis asked.

"Around five hundred euros left," I said. During my examination, I bumped into my brother's back and turned my attention to my accident. I saw that Ned was holding the door open to the restaurant and followed them in.

"Thank you," I said, entering the restaurant. It was a nice little restaurant with coffee colored walls and a Starbucks sort of look. It was half full of people, but Ned got us into a booth.

"So, what's good here, Neddy?" David asked, obviously excited to eat. He opened his menu and his face twisted into confusion. "Man, it's all in Italian!"

Ned didn't react to the nickname and casually looked over his own menu.

"I can translate for you, but I recommend the crepes with fresh fruit," Ned replied indifferently. I looked over my own menu. I had only ever had crepes from IHOP because my mom loved them. It was the only thing she got from there. I had never tried sweet crepes because my mom ordered the Chicken Florentine crepes. I could make out some words on the menu since Spanish words were similar to Italian words in some ways. I was busy trying to decide between a frittata and the crepes Ned mentioned when the waiter came up and started talking in Italian.

"English, please," Ned said politely, looking up at the waiter.

"Ah. You are American," the waiter said, taking out a notepad. "I am sorry. My name is Anthony. A-what can I get for you to drink this morning?" He looked over all of us and smiled.

"Do you guys have milk?" Travis asked a little sheepishly. He loved his milk. That probably explained why his teeth were so white and why he was so tall. I smiled at my brother and looked over my menu again.

"Of course," Anthony said, writing it down.

"I'll have some tea. No cream, please," Ned said simply.

"Yeah, I'll have some milk too," David said, trying to decipher the words on the menu like it was a puzzle. I looked up from my menu, having made my decision as Anthony looked at me.

"Water please," I said, closing my menu. He nodded and smiled, writing it down.

"I will get that out for you right away," he said, leaving us to pick our meals.

"Dude, Ned, man. I can't read any of this, it's all foreign," David groaned, giving up. He plopped his menu on the table.

"If it helps, _frutta_ is fruit, _latte_ is milk, _pane_ is bread, and so on," I said. "And _acqua_ is water."

"You speak Italian?" Ned asked in his quiet voice, but for once, he sounded a little surprised. Although, if he was, he didn't let it show very much.

"No, but my brother and I speak Spanish to each other. Some words are similar," I said. "I can only assume what the words are."

" _Sí_ ," Travis replied with a grin. I smiled back and Ned just nodded before tending to David to help.

"What are you getting?" Travis asked, reading his menu and shaking his leg under the table; it was a habit.

"I'm gonna try the crepes," I said. " _¿Qué estás ordenando?"_

" _No sé_ ," he replied back. " _Necesito ayuda con este_."

I looked at his menu and tried to help.

"There's frittatas," I offered. "It's like quiche but without the crust. It has bacon and stuff in it. You could get that."

David blew out a breath and set his menu down, closing it. Ned was settled back in his chair, and I saw Anthony coming back with our drinks. He set them down in front of us an asked us if we were ready to order. Ned scanned his eyes over the three of us in question.

"Yep," Travis said, putting his menu down also. Anthony took out his notepad again.

"What would you like?" he asked in his Italian accent, flipping his brown curls out of his face. Ned nodded to us, clearly letting us go first.

"I'm getting the rum French toast. Right?" David said, looking to Ned for clarification. He nodded.

"The Primo Rum Toast," Ned said quietly.

"Ah, good choice," Anthony praised, writing it down with a grin. (A/N: I know Italians have like pastries or some sort of croissant for breakfast with coffee or a latte, but I looked up basic Italian breakfast meals and found random things. So sorry to any Italians reading this! I'm American lol)

"I'll have the frutte crepes," Ned said simply when Anthony looked to him. He nodded and wrote it down, looking between Travis and me.

"I'll have the same thing," I said, nodding to Ned. Anthony smiled and wrote it down before stopping at my brother last.

"I'm gonna get the same thing as him," Travis said, nodding to David, back to his leg bouncing.

"Okay," Anthony said, writing it and taking up our menus. "Can I offer you some biscotti or a pastry before your breakfast comes?"

Ned shook his head and politely declined, as did the rest of us, and Anthony left us. Ned stirred his tea before taking a sip of it and speaking.

"How did you come across singing?" Ned asked quietly, putting his tea cup down. "For only having four years experience, you pass the top singers. Individually and together." He added at the end, looking at my brother and David too.

"Well..." I began, hoping not to make him feel bad for us. I motioned between myself and Travis. "When our dad died four years ago, we wanted to handle our grief in a better way. So, we decided to do it through music. We were raised on older music, so we started out singing classical songs."

"Yeah, and one day, we added David in and started singing at restaurants in our town," Travis said, taking a drink of his milk.

"And man, I don't regret it one bit," David said, slapping Travis on the back. "These guys are my best buds right here. Their dad? Best man ever."

"That's quite a story," Ned said, his surprise not very well hidden this time. "My condolences. Your father had great taste in music if you grew up listening to classics. Who is your favorite?"

"Eagles," Travis and I said, chuckling. Ned nodded his approval.

"I noticed that from your performance," he said. "We haven't ever had someone perform Don Henley before, especially a young group like you. We were all impressed, especially Kelly. She believes you could take the world by storm. In all her years of music producing, she is shocked for the first time in a long time."

"Are you mad at us for not becoming famous? 'Cause dude, we just like jammin'," David said like he was explaining it for the millionth time. Which, he pretty much was because he probably thought Ned was going to try to talk us into it like Robert did. I felt a rustle under the table; Travis must have kicked him.

"I'm not mad. It's not my decision," Ned said. "I told Cheyenne that I actually admired that you all are not agreeing to it. Performers can easily be sucked into all the fame and often go off the deep end, we should say."

"I mean, we would surely want to perform other places," I said. "We just like being like this. We haven't been performing for very long at all, compared to other people."

Ned nodded his head in understanding.

"We get that," he said. "Robert just didn't expect you to decline. He's used to people saying yes to money and free service. Kelly, however, decided to be generous and extend your trip. She wants to see more of your performances."

"How come we're here and not somewhere in Texas or something?" David asked. "It doesn't make sense."

Funny how we did come here and now, in the back of my mind, I'm hoping not to get eaten at night by two pale teenagers.

"I'm not sure," Ned said, drinking his tea again. "I believe Kelly was on her way to Italy in the first place before your location was picked. Phillip, Danny and I were in our offices when we were called and she had left already."

I wondered if we would see Kelly again. Where would we go after Rome? Would we get to come back to Italy if we chose?

When no one said anything, Ned changed the subject.

"So," he began as if the silence never occurred. "Is there anything specific you all like to shop for? I heard you talking about a music store and new equipment."

"Is there a music store here?" Travis asked. I zoned out while looking outside of the restaurant. There were people shopping, talking, and going in and out of other stores. I even saw a little girl with her parents, tugging on her father's hand. A pang in my chest made me miss my dad at that moment. I remembered asking if I could hold his hand when we walked into Walmart on Sundays. I remembered playing catch with him and my brother in the backyard. I also remembered those Taylor Swift lyrics that sometimes made me think about my childhood and miss him even more.

 _Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room_

 _Memorize what it sounded like when your dad gets home_

 _Remember the footsteps, remember the words said_

 _And all your little brother's favorite songs_

 _I just realized everything I have is someday gonna be gone_

I remembered the sound of the back door opening when my dad came home from work. I remembered my old room; the lavender walls that my dad had let me paint. I remembered his voice, the sound of his shoes.

 _You better hold on tight to him now_ , I mentally told the little girl even though she had no idea I was watching her. _Time goes too fast._

I tore my gaze away from the family moment when I felt someone touch my shoulder. Everyone had plates in front of them. David was already eating while Ned was holding his fork and looking at me. Travis was doing the same, but without the fork.

"You okay?" he asked with a hint of nervousness. I blinked and then nodded, looking down at my plate. The crepes looked really fancy with the elegant decoration of fruit, cream, and a white drizzle of what I assumed was either white chocolate or some sort of glaze. I picked up my fork and ate my first Italian breakfast. Ned warily looked down at his own plate to eat and Travis seemed to buy my answer.

XxX

"Where is he?" Travis said, looking all around town square. I just got done buying a top from one of the clothing stores and met up at the fountain like we agreed. We all decided to split up and shop where we wanted to while Ned took a call from our performance location in Rome. We had been waiting for about ten minutes, which was past the time that we agreed to meet back. I pulled my phone out and checked the time. It was close to 11:30 and we'd be leaving at one. We needed to get to the airport before our flight left. I handed Travis my shopping bag.

"I'll go find him," I said. "I think I have an idea where he is."

"Hurry," he said, taking my bag. "We gotta leave. I'll tell Ned when he comes back."

I nodded and headed to the left to try and look for him. I jogged, scanning over all the shops and sidewalks for any sign of David. I got further and further away from the fountain and into the now big crowd of people that filled town square. I was constantly saying "Excuse me" and pushing through people.

"Come on, David," I muttered to myself. Finally, after pushing through enough people, I spotted his light brown hair in a crowd being led by someone. The crowd was far away, almost too far, and seemed to be heading towards what looked like a castle of some sort. I ran as fast as I could towards the crowd to catch David, pushing my legs as hard and fast as they would go. I could see the crowd getting closer and closer in my vision.

"Wrong day to take a tour, David," I muttered to myself through my heavy breathing. I caught up just as the front of the crowd was entering the building and wormed my way through the back and tugged on David's sleeve. I heard a few outbursts in Italian from my pushing, but I ignored them and focused on catching my breath.

"We have to go," I said, whispering. "You were supposed to meet us and Travis is mad."

He turned his head as if he was just now noticing me.

"Dudette, how'd you get here?" he asked. I guess he didn't hear me the first time.

"We have to go, Travis is mad!" I whisper yelled, trying to tug him out of the crowd. "We don't have time to take a tour."

"The Volturi castle is perhaps the oldest building standing in Volterra," a woman's voice came from the front of the crowd. We were now inside the apparent castle, walking down a dimly lit corridor. Everyone was staring with wide eyes and making comments. "Please, no flash photography. These walls and pictures are very old."

"Oh, shit," he whispered. "Sorry. She just said the tour was free and I couldn't help it." He looked around at the castle just like everyone else was doing. I tugged on his wrist and started to turn back, but when I did, two men clad in black were guarding the end of the crowd. They were pale.

Unnaturally pale.

With red eyes.

Perfect features.

The man on the left had brown hair and was big. Huge. And tall. He had a little smile on his face while he walked smoothly in step with the shorter, thinner man next to him. He was built too, with spiky pale blond hair. His eyes flicked to me and his own smile faltered. He held my gaze and I tore mine away, facing the front again. I didn't realize we'd stepped into another room. It was huge and made almost completely of white marble. The floors were shiny, the space was vast, and towards the back wall sat three men in chairs who were also clad in black. The man in front had jet black hair that tumbled a little past his shoulders. He looked like he was in his mid thirties. He also had pale skin and red eyes. The man to the left of him looked really bored, but he had just the same features as the men behind me and the man in the center. His brown hair ended a little past his shoulders as well and he looked like he was in his forties compared to the other one. The man to the right looked to be the youngest with snowy blond hair and an angry, evil expression. I swallowed when my eyes fell upon the two familiar figures I hoped to not see.

The boy and the girl from the gig. Standing side by side, clad in black as well with capes hugging their shoulders. Their eyes were red as well.

This was not good.

"Holy shit," David whispered, folding his hand around my hand that was holding onto his sleeve. "We gotta get outta here."

"We do thank you for touring with us," I heard the woman say before all the pale figures lunged at the crowd.

That's when the screams and blood erupted.

 **OMG FINALLY FINISHED IT. Here's chapter 9 with a little cliffy. I'm sorry for not updating. I've been working nights lately and it just drained me. But they finally made it to the castle! And Cheyenne's life just got that much worse, didn't it? Eh, don't worry, this is an OC/Alec story. Things'll fall together sometime!**

 **So, David was obviously lured by Heidi to take the tour. What do we think? Bad David, I hate you David, or It's okay, David? Ah, he didn't know any better . But this is where it all begins. So I'll start chapter 10 right after I upload this. I hope you enjoyed annnnnd yeah.**

 **The T. Swift song mentioned in this chapter was Never Grow Up. It's so sad! *cries***

 **The song that was sung in the car was Defeated by Breaking Benjamin.**

 **Anyway, review please! I promise not to keep you waiting as long as I did.**


	10. Good Life?

**CPOV**

The pale figures, which I could now clarify as vampires, sunk their teeth into all the people. I saw blood ran down their chins. The helpless screams and gurgles of the people made my stomach turn and my butt tingle. As I saw bodies drop to the floor, I looked to David, who was trying to look for a way out. He was frozen in place just as I was. I looked around again and met the eyes of the boy who tried to attack me two nights ago. I had no doubt he would do it now. He looked surprised and angry. Then my eyes found the blond girl. Her eyes were on David in a hungry manner. Before I could grip David's arm any tighter, he was attacked by her and I was knocked to the floor by the boy. My head hit the hard floor and pain radiated through the back of my head. This was it.

 _I love you, brother. And David. And mom, even though I didn't get close to you, I still love you too, even if I was uncomfortable admitting it,_ I thought to myself as I prepared for him to actually sink his teeth in this time. My heart was beating wildly and his eyes were blazing with anger and he looked murderous.

"Alec! Jane!" a voice rang out. " Stop! Spare them."

Alec? Was that his name? Before I could wonder anymore, Alec was gone and I was standing upright again. I looked to my left and the big brunette guy was holding my arm. His hand was cold as ice and felt hard like the marble floor. I whipped my head around to find David, hoping he wasn't already dead. He was being held by the pale blond guy. He looked to me, the panic and fear apparent on his face.

"Cheyenne," he said, trying to break out of the man's grip, but it was no use. The man looked like he wasn't even trying, yet David couldn't break free. He was some inches shorter than David as well. I looked to the man with the jet black hair, who looked to be the leader of whatever clan or group this was. The bodies were in a pile and being taken away. The man touched his fingertips together, standing from his seat.

"Felix, Demetri," he said, his voice feather light. I didn't know who was who, but they both moved David and I forward until we were standing in front of the man. He looked creepily delighted to see us.

 _Keep calm, keep calm_ , I chanted to myself. I glanced at David. He looked scared straight, but he was trying to keep his face blank.

"Ah, yes," the man crooned. "It seems you have arrived earlier than we intended you to. Felix." He held up his hand and my arm was released. I glanced at the boy and the girl. They both had blank faces, but the girl glared at me when I looked at her. I looked back to the man. What did he mean?

"Your name," he crooned, reaching his hand out. "It is Cheyenne, if I am correct?" I looked at his hand and something was telling me not to touch it. How did he know my name?

"Don't touch her!" David said sharply. "Touch her, you son of a bitch, and I'll..."

I looked at him with a warning look and shook my head subtly, telling him not to talk. Demetri, since the man holding me was Felix, tightened his grip on David's arm and he grimaced.

"Demetri," he said airily, holding up his other hand, telling him to stop. Demetri's grip loosened and David rubbed his arm.

"How do you know her name? Who are you?" David demanded. Come on, David, work with me please.

"Please, we will not harm you both," he said calmly. His eyes moved to me again and then he blinked. He paused before speaking again. "My, my, Alec's experience was truly difficult, wasn't it? A human who can change scent on account of feeling. How marvelous!" His eyes grew wide with delight and I was just confused. What the heck was he talking about? I didn't understand at all.

"Just make it stop before I kill her myself!" the snowy blond man in the chair on the right hissed. His eyes were narrowed and his nose was wrinkled in disgust. Aro held up his hand briefly.

"Caius," he said simply, keeping his eyes on me. He moved his hand toward me again. "If I may take your hand, dear."

"You may not," I said calmly, taking a step back. "I don't know who you are or what you want."

"Why, you vile little-!" the man called Caius started again, but the man stopped him again.

"Brother. It is only in best interest that we not rush our guest. Or guests, I should say," he crooned, moving his blood red eyes to David.

"Aro, you cannot possibly be considering-" Caius tried again, but the man, Aro, interrupted once again.

"I am," he said calmly. "Now, my dear. Your name, I ask again. Your name is Cheyenne?"

I forced myself to nod, not liking the way my name sounded coming from him. It sent chills down my spine. It was already chilling that he knew my name.

"What the fuck do you want, dude? Don't do anything to her, take me!" David said, getting in his frustrated mode. I looked at him again with the warning look and mouthed "Stop."

"And your friend," Aro crooned. "He is...quite protective of you. Like a brother? Oh, how wonderful!" he clapped his hands together, grinning.

"What do you want?" I said, getting more confused by the minute. "How do you know my name?"

"It seems our dear Alec has discovered your gifts," he replied in his feathery voice, looking at Alec adoringly. "And his singer." His huh? My what?

Aro looked back to me, his hands folded together. David leaned away from Demetri, ready for an attempt to break free. I heard a hissing sound come from the blond girl.

"My dear, is it not true that you sing for entertainment with your dear friend here?" he asked, obviously trying to be nice. I didn't think there was any way we were getting out of here.

"Yes," I ground out. His eyes grew alight again.

"Marvelous! May I see a demonstration of this? It will only take a moment," he said.

"No!" David said. "Let us go! We're not doing anything for you!"

Aro looked to Demetri and nodded. I glanced over and David was on his knees in a flash with Demetri's hand around his neck. Aro slowly stepped toward us.

"No! Don't hurt him," I said, edging towards them. "He didn't mean it. We'll do what you say." I looked at the two men seated behind Aro. The older brunette man was studying us, his posture bored, but his eyes interested. Aro looked between me and David.

"Ah, how wonderful," Aro sang. "Such a strong friendship, is it not, Marcus?" He looked back towards the brunette whose name I now knew as Marcus.

"Yes, indeed," he slowly croaked, sounding like he hasn't spoken in hundreds of years. "Their bond is quite interesting."

"Yes," Aro said slowly. "Demetri." He nodded and let go of David, hauling him up as if he weighed nothing.

"Why do you want us to sing?" I asked, moving beside David.

"It is your gift, my dear. We only want to see what Alec has seen," Aro said. "You will not be able to go back, you see. You know now of our existence. It cannot go without fault. You have a choice, to become one of us or to be sentenced to death. It is only fair for the secret of our kind. I do, however, not want to waste such a gift of yours. Or gifts, as you seem to have more than one."

"And your kind would be vampires?" I asked calmly, trying to somehow stop my heart from beating so hard.

"Of course," he replied. "But please do not be frightened. We do not plan to feed on you. That is, if you agree to what we ask of you."

"Over my dead body," David said. I don't think he noticed the joke in it since he was being serious. "You're not gonna touch her. What makes you think we'll stay here?"

"David, stop," I said under my breath. If we were going to be trapped here, I figured the best thing to do was stay calm. And just go with it.

"I'm sorry. He's just mad," I said to Aro. "If we have no choice...then we'll stay." I hated the words coming out of my mouth, but we were stuck now. There was no going back. I would never see my brother again. Or my mom. Or my uncles. Or my friends. The only person I would be with is David.

"Dudette, what the hell are you thinking?" he whispered sharply to me, whipping his head toward me. I looked at him, then Aro.

"How lovely!" Aro cheered, his face bright with happiness. "And your gift. May we please see a demonstration? Would you please sing for us?"

"Hell no!" David said lividly, looking at Aro. "We're not doing shit! And we're sure as hell not becoming freaking vampires!"

I dug my nails into his palm as a sign to be quiet. If we didn't do what Aro said, I was sure we'd either be killed or hurt. I didn't want that, especially for my friend.

"Ouch," he mumbled, pulling his hand away. I kept my eyes on Aro.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "Please forgive my friend. We really don't want any trouble or anything."

"Of course, dear," he said slowly. "All is forgiven. It's not always easy...accepting a fate that was unseen. Although, I do not want to ask again for a demonstration."

I nodded and looked at David. We had no other choice and I wanted him to see that I didn't want to do this either, but I didn't want us getting hurt. He looked none too happy.

"What are we singing?" he mumbled, crossing his arms. I looked at Aro.

"Ah yes," he sang. "Please, Felix, would you bring in the wonderful piano?"

"Yes, Master," Felix said in his deep voice, and left the room. If I was pushing Aro's patience, I didn't want to any longer. I tried to sift through songs in my head that we could sing. A song that could also probably help David calm down. What's a song that he likes? We always sing together...I got it, then. I looked at David, his face still angry.

"One Mashup," I whispered, using the short code name for it. He gave a thoughtful expression for a second before grinning in David fashion.

"Fuck yeah," he said. I heard the doors open then and looked back. Felix was effortlessly wheeling in a black baby grand piano. He stopped at the middle of the floor and went to stand beside Demetri at the thrones.

"I would quite like to hear this," Aro crooned again, putting his fingertips together. I looked at my friend and made my way to the piano in the middle of the room. He followed me. When I sat down, I scanned over all the vampires' faces. Felix looked like he was trying to hide a grin, Demetri looked indifferent, Aro looked delighted, Marcus looked bored, Caius looked hateful, and Alec and Jane had blank looks. Alec, though, looked particularly stiff, like he was preparing for something. I looked up at David.

"You remember where to sing and harmonize?" I asked quietly, placing my hands on the keys.

"Relax, dudette," he said, trying to sound calm. He actually sounded nervous, which was something he never was. David was always the one who was the most excited to perform. This wasn't good.

Just be calm, I thought to myself. I nodded and looked down at the keys, playing the tune of Apologize, but starting with different lyrics.

 **(A/N: Bold is David and Italics is Cheyenne. Both together means harmonization. Enjoy this mashup by Anthem Lights! It's the One Republic Mashup. Parentheses means overlapping** )

 _Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep_

 _Dreaming about the things that we could be_

 **I'm holding on your rope, got me ten feet off the ground**

 _But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard_

 _Said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars_

 **(I'm hearing what you say), but I just can't make a sound**

 _Tell me what you want to hear_

 _Something that will light those ears_

 _Sick of all the insincere_

 _So I'm gonna give all my secrets away_

 _(Maybe this time)_

 **(And everyday I see the news, all the problems and we could solve them)**

 **When a situation rises, just write it into an album**

 **Send it straight to gold**

 _I'm gonna give all my secrets_

 _But it's too late_

 **(If I lose myself tonight)**

 _I can feel again_

 _It's too late_

 **(If I lose myself tonight)**

 _I can feel again_

When I looked up at my audience, all the male vampires were making their way toward us with euphoric expressions on their face. What the heck? I flicked my eyes to Alec for a split second. He had that struggling look on his face just like in the club. He looked like he was trying to stop himself, but his body wasn't listening. Was this what Aro meant by a gift? Was that why he was looking at me like that that night? Jane, however, who I assumed was his sister because they looked somewhat alike, was the only one who wasn't moving. She was, however, staring at David and looked angry, but not at him; at herself. I looked back down at the keys after the pause and then at David, starting to have fun with the song. I rose from my seat while still playing the notes. I could tell he was starting to loosen up too.

 _ **Take that money, watch it burn**_

 _ **Sink in the river the lessons I learned**_

 _ **Take that money, watch it burn**_

 _ **Sink in the river the lessons I learned**_

 _ **Take that money, watch it burn**_

 _ **Sink in the river the lessons I learned**_

 _ **Take that money, watch it burn**_

 _ **Sink in the river the lessons I learned**_

 _This has gotta be the good life_

 **(This has gotta be the good life)**

 _This could really be a good life,_ _ **good life**_

 _I say you'll get this feeling that you can't fight_

 **This city is on fire tonight**

 _This could really be a good life, a good good life_

 **(Ohhhh, yeaaaaah)**

 _(Oh, oh oh oh, oh oh oh)_

 **A good, good life**

 **(Ohhhh, yeaaaaah)**

 _(Oh, oh oh oh, oh oh oh)_

 **A good, good life**

I looked back down at the piano, playing the ending part of Apologize. When I removed my fingers from the keys and looked up again, Aro was the first to come out of his dream like state.

"Absolutely _magnifico_ ," he said so quietly that I almost didn't catch it. The others' eyes were glazed over, but they were coming to. I saw Felix grin at Demetri and Alec glare at me. David grabbed my arm. When Caius blinked, he looked disgusted.

"Insolent human," he growled at me, stepping toward me, his cloak floating with him. Aro held out his arm to stop him.

"Caius, it was a mere demonstration," Aro said calmly. "She will be a wonderful addition to our group." Caius still glared at me, but he made no more moves. He just went back to his throne seat and sat down. Marcus's eyes were widened slightly and his eyes were on me for a minute before he too, returned to his seat.

"Okay, we sang for you. Could you back up now?" he said harshly, pulling me away from the piano.

"Ah, ah," Aro tutted, holding up his hands. "Do not try to run, my dears. You have agreed to stay here. I do not want to have to take drastic measures." He turned to the blond girl, Jane.

"And it seems that Jane has not been aroused by your gift," He pondered. "Jane, dear. Let us see if it is the same with your gift. Shall we? Not too much, now." He turned to look back at us in a studying manner. Jane's eyes landed on me, her mouth a grim line.

"It doesn't work, Master," she said smoothly, her voice childlike and mature at the same time. Her and Alec couldn't have been more than seventeen or eighteen. "I have tried already."

Aro's head turned to Jane, then back to me.

"You have already attempted this?" he asked, sounding dumbfounded. He was over at her side in a flash. I didn't even see him move. He took her hand in his own and stood still for a minute before appearing in front of me.

"How marvelous," he whispered, his eyes growing wide. "You are immune to our gifts? I wonder...Alec."

"No!" David pulled me behind him. "No more of this experiment shit! We said we'd stay, all right? We said we'd become vampires, what more do you want?"

Demetri came over and pulled a protesting David away from me. I was afraid he was really going to get hurt this time, but when Demetri did nothing but stand behind Aro with him, I was a little relieved. Demetri did, however, keep one hand around his neck loosely and David's other hand behind his back.

"Alec," Aro asked, not taking his eyes off of me. "Do please test my theory."

I looked at David; he looked scared for me. I looked to Aro; he looked excited. Then I looked to Alec and his open palms, where black mist silently crept towards me in billowy clouds. _Stay calm, stay calm._

I lifted my eyes to his and he had the blank look on his face, but I could tell he was angry behind it by the furrowing of his brows. His eyes burned into mine and I couldn't stop my heart from beating the way it was. He hated me because I was his singer, which I had no idea what that was. The mist was around me, but what was it? Was it poison? I didn't smell anything, and my skin wasn't burning or causing any pain.

"Wonderful," Aro breathed, his hands folded in front of him. His eyes were shining with fascination. He then broke out into a high pitched laughter that echoed off the marble walls. The mist retreated away from me and back into Alec's palms.

"I do believe we may have a Bella Swan here, brothers," Aro said, his laughter cutting off abruptly and he held out his hand again. "My dear, your hand?"

"Give me my friend back," I said stonily. "I've done what you've asked." I wanted to get us as far away from these people as possible, no matter where in this castle that meant. I wanted my friend safe at all costs.

"Ah yes, of course," he smiled, something strange in his tone. It made my butt tingle. He turned his back to me and I saw Marcus studying me again.

"There is no bond," he croaked out. Aro nodded slowly and looked at Demetri.

"Demetri, would you please do the honors?" Aro asked, all traces of his nice demeanor gone. My eyes widened and I couldn't stop what came next. My eyes slid over to David.

Demetri pulled David's head back and sunk his teeth into his neck in one simple move.

I couldn't speak. I couldn't scream. I was too in shock.

David's echoing scream made black swirl in my vision and tears come to the surface. The last thing I saw were stone cold arms catching me and a flash of dark brown hair.

 **DUN DUN DUNNNN. OH NO ARO DI'INT!**

 **Well...yeah, he did, because I made him. But oh noooo, David's gonna be a vampire. WHAT EVER WILL CHEYENNE DO NOW? I don't know, you'll have to keep reading. More surprises and a conversation between Alec and Cheyenne are coming up next! I hope you enjoyed this chapter annnnd yes. Review please!**


	11. Mean to Meet You

**APOV**

No.

No, this was not happening. The human was not here for my lunch. Her scent was not burning my nose and my throat with her roses and mint. I could not smell her over the rest of the humans.

Aro had been too interested in her, much more than I would've liked, and to make matters worse, we had another human along with her. A pig headed, loud mouthed human. How were they friends was beyond me. I was even more upset that Jane and I weren't absent when she arrived. She just had to be in the feeding crowd, thanks to him. I tried not to focus on the scent that shrouded me as I carried her limp form to her assigned bedroom, which was, unfortunately, across from mine. Demetri and Felix were tending to her friend David. Jane stayed behind, as Aro was a bit upset about our plan to try and torture the human. Aro had asked me to take her to her room and check up on her every so often. The terrible part was that he assigned me to be her guard. That meant I had to take her places and follow her. And be around her. Smell her every second of the fucking day.

 _Cheyenne. Her name is Cheyenne_ , that insolent voice nagged inside my head. I ground my teeth at that. God damn it. It was bad enough that I had to carry her and even worse that her scent would be drenched on me until I could mask it or wash it away. But God, she smells enticing. There was no way I would last eternity with her; not if I had to smell her all the time and hold my animalistic instincts back from draining her.

I hate her.

I took my chances and peeked down at her. Her face was serene, but her brows were furrowed. I could hear her heart beating steadily as if she was sleeping and her naturally long lashes almost touched the hollows of her eyes. Her hair seemed almost bronze like the Cullen's hybrid child. I was definitely going to speak to Aro about this. Though he already knew my thoughts, I would beg him (And Alec Volturi _never_ begs. Ever.) to give her another guard. Felix would do; the human was too serious and with his ignorance, they would surely band together. Or perhaps Heidi; the two are females, after all.

I reached the top of the steps and strode through the mahogany wood door into her room. The burgundy painted walls and the king sized bed with golden silk sheets and black iron bed post were Aro's choice. He had them specially ordered for her; which made me scoff. Aro did have pleasant taste, but the way he went all out for humans was ludicrous.

I lay her form on the bed and left the room as quickly as possible, not sparing her another glance. I needed to wash her scent off immediately and get her haunting voice out of my mind. The words she sang were echoing and spinning in my head. The way she drew all of us in, especially Aro, was maddening because Aro believes she could be more powerful than Jane and I with the way she can control crowds of people. The way he ranted about it made me leave the throne room quicker than Jane when she was angry.

 _"Her power is so extraordinary," Aro crooned to me, looking over her form in my arms. "I do believe we could have an immortal more powerful than you and Jane. I cannot wait to see how her powers have changed after her transformation. Don't you agree, Alec?" His eyes moved to me, his fingertips touching each other._

 _"Master," I started, but he was quick to stop me._

 _"My dear son, I do realize it is difficult with her scent and the way her blood calls to you," he said slowly. "But that makes it all the more worth to make her your guard!" He grew delighted at the end and clapped his hands together._

 _What? Oh, no. God, no._

 _"You see, my boy," he said. "She will not be human for long, so do not will be changed soon. But I do want to see how you...interact with her. Do make her comfortable here and take her into town in three days when David has awoken. She is, after all, your mate. Trust me when I say it will be worth your while. I trust that you will not drink from her."_

 _I felt venom gather in my mouth as I tried to hide my anger. I was thankful that Aro saved me and my sister- he was a father to me more than our biological father ever was. I didn't even consider that man my father. Or a man. He was a sorry excuse for a human and I don't regret killing him to save Jane before we were captured- but I did not want to be around this girl. I simply bowed my head._

 _"Of course not, Master," I said. "I will be very careful."_

 _"Wonderful," he smiled. "Now, please, she must rest. She has had a terrible day. Do prepare some towels when she wakes up. I'll have Ray bring her a meal."_

 _I nodded once and ran with immortal speed out of the room. I needed to break something._

And break something, I would.

I would break the human. To her breaking _point_. If Aro wanted this human in the castle, then I would surely show her what the Volturi really is.

 **CPOV**

When I lifted my eyes open, there was darkness. I couldn't see anything. I tried to remember what happened before I fell asleep for a nap. When did I take a nap? That's when I realized.

I didn't. I blacked out.

I remembered getting trapped in the big spacious room that was made of marble. I remembered the leader vampire asking for my hand. I remember singing with David. Most of all, I remembered the beautiful face of the boy who said he hated me. Most of all, I remembered the heart sinking sight of David getting bitten by Demetri.

I shot right up and wondered where he was. Was he hurt? Was he already turned? Were they torturing him?

"She's awake," a voice said from my left, which made me jump. Light filled the room and I shut my eyes to block it out. I didn't recognize the voice, though. It was a man's voice.

"Sleep well?" another voice asked. I didn't recognize it either, but when I opened my eyes, I saw the bodies that matched the voices. Felix and Demetri.

"I wasn't sleeping," I said. "You turned my best friend into a vampire." I threw the heavy comforter off of me and got up out of the bed, ignoring the vertigo.

"It was only an order," Demetri replied with his arms folded. His red eyes were sizing me up. "I wouldn't have changed him myself, trust me. But you...I could change you." His cupid-like lips curved into a smile and I wanted to slap it right off his face.

"Oh, shut up, Demetri, she doesn't wanna be around perverts," Felix said, rolling his eyes. He held out his hand to me. "I'm Felix, by the way. I think we're gonna be great friends." He grinned, showing perfect white teeth that glistened in the light. I looked at his hand, then him, keeping my face stony.

"I don't want to be your friends," I said lowly. Felix lowered his hand.

"She's feisty," he said seriously. Then he grinned. "I like her!"

"Where is David?" I said, ignoring him. "Tell me where he is."

"I'm afraid we can't do that," Demetri said, stepping forward. "We have strict orders. Once he awakens as a vampire, he won't be able to control himself. It's only in Aro's best interest that we keep you separated until he controls his thirst."

I couldn't believe this. Not only was my best friend becoming a vampire, but I wouldn't be able to see him for God knows how long. It made my heart sink and I thought of my brother. What would he be doing? I know he's worrying about me. He's probably freaking out. Would Ned tell Kelly and they would call the FBI? Was there a search party going around? I didn't know, but it made my heart hurt, and there was one thing I remembered that Aro told me. We wouldn't be able to leave again. We couldn't see anyone in our family or friend pool anymore. Not now since we were going to become vampires. Vampires. I didn't like the sound of that. I already lost one loved one. Now I was losing them all.

I blinked back the tears in my eyes. I haven't cried since my dad's funeral.

"I think we upset her," I heard Felix say. I realized I was looking at the hardwood floor. Don't cry. Don't cry. I looked at them again.

"Why does Aro want me? My best friend shouldn't have to pay for this. He didn't do anything. It was an accident that he came here. If Aro wants me, then David should go. He doesn't deserve to be...damned because of me," I said, trying to think of the right word. That was the only one I could think of. I wouldn't age anymore, I was guessing, because everyone spoke so properly and all the popular vampire books included that one trait. I wanted kids someday. I wanted to get married. But all of that was shot now. It was wiped away and I was thrown onto a wrecked course. If David could go free, then I would be happy. I would make him swear not to tell or to run away. I wanted him safe. David was a free spirit and I wanted him to stay that way.

"Damn, she really loves him," Felix said as if he was shocked at that. He looked sideways at Demetri. "Look at her, Demetri!" His face changed and he looked at me.

"Do you smell that?" he asked, but I knew he wasn't asking me.

"So she doesn't just change her scent to wet dog and human food," Demetri said, raising an eyebrow.

"It smells like rain. How do you do that?" Felix asked. I just looked at him.

"Damned? You think we're damned," Demetri added with a chuckle. "Even if you told that to Aro, he wouldn't let him go. Both of you know we exist now. It's a law. The Volturi have laws. Once a human is exposed to the nature of vampires, they must either choose to become immortal or be put to death. It's the only way to protect us. And the humans around us."

"And you're too good to be put to death," Felix said. Not only was my idea of life wiped clean, but this was a law making vampire clan? I tried to keep calm as I flexed my jaw.

"Surely some deal can be made," I ground out. "I don't care what it takes, I want him out of here."

"You couldn't convince Aro, he's set on having both of you here," Felix said. "Whatever you offer him, he'll pass it up. I mean, he's been rambling about you for hours and Alec is-"

"Alec will be here soon," Demetri interrupted him, giving him a look. "We have food coming for you. You can freshen up in the bathroom if you like. There are towels and a closet full of clothes that Heidi bought for you. We also took the liberty of buying you all your toiletries."

The last thing on my mind was a shower. I just wanted to know where David was. My stomach was twisting and turning at the thought of food. My life was slowly melting and crumbling into a pit of rubble and dust and it was my fault. I couldn't blame David because he wasn't the one Aro wanted.

"Right," Felix said, turning serious again. "We're sorry for this, but we'll make you as comfortable as possible. It was nice to meet you." They both turned and exited the room, looking like they were floating. Demetri had a cape, but Felix didn't. As the door shut, I sank down on the bed, covering my face. How did this turn out so wrong in a mere matter of minutes? The only person I knew that would make this eternity bearable is being restrained from me. Who was I to stay with, then?

A knock sounded at the door and I just looked at it. I strained my ears to see if someone would speak outside of it, but nothing came. I slowly stepped toward the door and pulled it open. A man with brown eyes and a long-ish beard and moustache stood at the door in a chef's suit, including the hat. He couldn't have been older than his early twenties and was heavily built, but not that much. He stood at about six feet. He was holding a tray that held a plate of what looked like grilled cheese and a bowl of tomato soup with steam rising from it. In the corner was a glass of milk. He looked serious like those street guards you see in London, England. But the other thing was that he was human. He didn't have red eyes or pale skin. He looked perfectly mortal.

"Hey, I'm Ray," he said casually. He didn't sound foreign like I was half expecting. He was American. "I made you grilled cheese with tomato soup. It's homemade, really good." He walked into my room like it was his own and set it down on the nightstand that was placed by the bed. I scanned my eyes around the room. It was nicely decorated with the wood floors, fancy king sized bed, walk-in closet, and book shelf against the wall, but at the moment I didn't care. I could care less.

"Thank you," I said blankly, standing in the same spot at the door. He turned and stuck his hands in his pockets and walked back to the door.

"So you're the new human?" he asked. "I've been here not even a year and it's all fine and dandy. It's nice to meet you though, what's your name?" He stuck out his hand, which was pretty big. I was just baffled.

"Cheyenne," I said warily, shaking his hand and then pulling it away. "You're American." I added. He just laughed at me.

"Well, duh," he said. "You think I was Italian or something? Psh, come on. Americans can cook, too."

"Ray, shouldn't you be down in the kitchen?" Someone asked from the doorway. I knew that voice and my heart starting beating more heavily. I turned my head and there stood Alec himself with a blank expression on his stone-like face. Ray took his hands out of his pockets then and straightened up. "Do I have to report to Aro again?"

"Yes sir, I apologize," he replied a little more formally and did a little bow. He looked to me and tipped his chef hat before leaving the room. I gave him a nod in return and I was left alone with Alec. My heart beat faster, and I cursed it.

"Aro sent me to check on you," he said, looking me over once. "I see you're well." He strode right into the room. "Does my presence appeal to you, human?"

I looked at him, all traces of those nerves gone immediately. I didn't say anything because I could hear it. He was taunting me. Could he hear my heart beat?

He turned around, his cape flowing around him. He looked a bit annoyed now.

"I expect an answer from you," he said almost sharply.

"Just like I expect to get out of here?" I said calmly. "Because, if that's the case, then we're both not getting what we want."

He was in my face in a second, standing over me, his red eyes in slits. He grabbed the top of my arm and I tried to hide a wince. He was really strong and his hand was as hard and cold as marble. My arm was hurting in protest of his grip.

"Let me remind you who has the upper hand, human," he growled. "And let me remind you how so easily I could do away with you. When I talk to you, you answer, and you answer in a way that pleases me. When you are told to do something, you do it. I wasn't pleased with the way you spoke to my Master or with your silly performance. You're just as low and filthy as your friend. Now, I ask again. Does my presence appeal to you?"

I tried to ignore his bite at David because he didn't know anything about him. I could smell Alec, though because he was so close to me. He smelled like...a boy. I couldn't describe it. He smelled like a boy when he came fresh out of the shower, but without the sharp smell of Axe or any strong smelling body wash like that. It was more like Old Spice, but without the spice. It was just like a boy.

My heart was beating even faster now and I was sure my arm would have a bruise on it tomorrow. But for Alec, for someone who looked eighteen, he acted much older. I braced myself. If I got hurt, then okay.

"No," I bit out. "Sorry I don't live up to your standards. So, break my arm. Break anything, it won't make a difference. I didn't ask to be here."

I heard something like a growl come from his mouth. He was really going to kill me now. I felt him release my arm and he was over at the nightstand in the blink of an eye. Pain throbbed through my arm, but I ignored it. I saw him pick up the tray and turn to me. With a simple flick of his wrist, the bowl of soup was overturned on the floor and the grilled cheese slices were in two different places across the room. The spoon clattered to the floor and the glass of milk looked like paint against the wood. I watched my meal spread out and then looked at him blankly. I never planned on eating it. He dropped the tray on the floor as well and stepped over the mess. Striding out of the room, he said,

"Enjoy cleaning that up, human. You'll be lucky if I allow you to eat at all." With that, he shut the door and the whole room was silent. What did he mean by that? Wasn't it up to Aro if I ate?

XxX

 **A few hours later, 4:00 p.m. Three and a half hours after arrival**

I was looking out the window that this room held to the outside world. It was still daylight and I was worrying about my brother and David. My heart hurt for them both; my brother because I hated how he must be feeling. It broke my heart to imagine him searching for me. David, because he was becoming a vampire and it was my fault. I wanted to cry it all out. I wanted to bust out in tears for losing not only my father, but now my beloved brother. I wondered if my mom knew yet. What would Aro do now? Pretend we both died? Put it in the news? My stomach twisted at that as I tried to blink back tears.

The view outside my window had a pretty good view of the town. I couldn't see any people from where I was, but I could see the shops and the cobblestone. It was all very small, but as I stared at it, I wondered if Travis was still there. My vision got blurry with tears again and I blinked them away. No. I wouldn't cry. I would be strong for David and for my brother.

I heard the door open after a short knock occurred and Heidi walked in, dress, heels and all. She was carrying a tray with new food on it, and she set it on the nightstand that was closest to my side of the room. She had helped me clean up the mess and told me she heard the whole conversation and told me that Alec was always like that. She then had introduced herself and told me she picked out all my clothes that were in the closet and had then left to get me a new tray of food. I didn't protest because I didn't want to be rude.

"I'm sorry about Alec," she said again. "He's just uncomfortable with this whole guard approach."

I had found out that what Alec meant by his last statement was that he had been assigned to be my guard. Heidi told me that after I blacked out, Aro told him Alec was to take me places and stuff like that. It made me uncomfortable because we weren't getting along very well and he hated me, but I wasn't about to go tell anyone about it. It didn't matter what happened to me now. I was focusing on my two favorite guys.

Heidi reminded me of Kelly in a way because her clothes were fashionable, but her looks were way different. Long mahogany hair waved down her back and she was tall with her heels on. Her dress was red, but her lips were plum. If I were to guess her human eye color, they probably would've been brown. She had a perfect heart shaped face and a nice dainty nose. Did she put Kelly to shame? In my opinion, no.

But the way she didn't remind me of Kelly? She had lured David in. She told me that her gift was to make people trust her, which is how they got their food. I looked out the window and continued to stare at the greenery and the town far away.

"Did you have your family with you?" she asked after a minute of silence. I turned to her and saw that her hands were folded by her hips.

"Yes," I said blankly, and turned back to the window.

"It's pretty heartbreaking when you find out you can't see them anymore," she said softly. "All you can do is watch from a distance."

I closed my eyes for a moment and reopened them. Then I turned and went to the waiting tray of food. Instead of a new grilled cheese and tomato soup, there was fettuccine alfredo in place of it with fresh spinach tossed in it. There was a glass of water with ice in it in the corner of the tray. I picked up the plate and fork and reluctantly ate it, despite my twisting stomach. I saw Heidi smile victoriously.

"There we go," she said, turning away. I thought she was leaving the room, but she went into the closet instead. I watched her, but turned back to my food. It really was good. It didn't match the one I had at the restaurant Robert took us to, but it was pretty close.

Heidi came out of the closet **(A/N: Hahaha, I just had to comment on that! But no, she's not coming out of the closet, she's coming out of the closet! Get it? Okay, good!)** with her mouth slightly twisted up.

"If you want to read or anything, just call one of us. Even a whisper and we'll hear you," she said before leaving the room. But, before she closed the door, she looked back at me.

"And don't worry about Alec."

Then she shut the door.

 **Okay, here's chapter 11! I'm sorry for not updating. Sometimes those creative juices just need time to flow, y'know? I hope my APOV's are okay for you all, I'm trying to capture his character as much as I can. I've never written a Twilight fanfic, so I'm doing my best. What do you think of their conversation? How extreme do you think Alec will get? And I know you all miss David, but he'll be absent for a while :( but don't worry, he'll come back in a few chapters! What did you guys think of Ray? My friend David in real life (no, my character David wasn't inspired by my friend David) wanted me to put him in the story and I told him I already had a David, so I used his middle name, Ray and put him in it. SO THERE YA GO, DAVID. Haha, he's not gonna read this *puts crying/laughing emoji*, he just wants to be in it. Anyway, please review and tell me what you think! More singing will be coming up soon! How many of you want Cheyenne and David to reunite already?! ME! Don't worry, the friends will unite! Just be patient!**


	12. Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

CPOV

"All of these books are the original copies," Felix explained to me, motioning to the thousands of books in the shelves. After I had finished eating, I took Heidi's offer on reading and tried to find the library she mentioned by myself. Alec and Jane had left for a mission, as Heidi called it. She told me when vampires break the law, the Volturi punish them, and that usually includes killing them. I didn't know how long he would be gone, but learning new things about the Volturi, as they called themselves, was increasing my anxiety. Alec hated me and I didn't hate him, I was just confused by him. Whatever reason he had for hating me, I apparently fueled the fire when I didn't give him the answer he wanted. It was the truth, though, and I didn't want to lie. My dad would spank me when that happened.

I got a little lost searching for the library until Felix came out and asked me where I was going.

"Signed by Poe, Dickens, you name it. We even have pages from Aristotle. We also may or may not have retrieved a copy of Anne Frank's diary," he continued. "We have books from all over the world."

I just nodded and scanned my eyes over all the books. I was still worried about David, but I was trying not to worry because it made my heart beat faster and I didn't want them to hear it. I made my way through the aisles and looked at the leather spines of the books, some of which were worn. There were poetry books, encyclopedias, atlases, war books, biographies, and even vampire myth books.

"If you need a book, let me know," Felix called, and sat back down to finish his book on a biography of Aretha Franklin. I didn't question his choice of book.

As I strode down the aisles of books, I felt something against my leg. It was in my pocket. Realization dawned over me as I remembered that I still had my phone. I looked down, then up to make sure Felix wasn't following me. I tried to keep my heart from beating faster, but it wasn't listening. I went back toward the front shelves to watch Felix every now and then. I went back further towards the back shelves and picked out a random book. I opened it and slid my phone out of my pocket, pressing the white button at the bottom of it and hiding it on the pages. I unlocked the screen and put it on silent. There were messages from my brother, all asking where I was and if I was okay. I also had missed calls.

 _Make a distraction, make a distraction so he doesn't come back here._

I let out a few coughs as if imaginary dust was bothering me and flipped a few pages while peeking through the shelves. I made my way slowly a few shelves up so he would hear me moving.

"Those books are pretty dusty," he called from his seat at the front.

"Yeah," I mumbled with fake interest. "And fascinating." I logically figured since they could all hear my heartbeat, then they could hear me mumbling perfectly, too. I opened my messages and quietly typed a, "We're fine" to my brother. I couldn't tell him any details for fear that he would find me and then he would be in this mess. I didn't want him in it, too. David already was, and it was my fault. I looked back up and peeked through the shelves. Felix was still reading.

I didn't know how long I could keep my phone, but I would certainly try my hardest to. I just had to be sneaky. I quickly pocketed my phone and put the book back, keeping my eyes on Felix. I searched for a book with Edgar Allan Poe's poems in it. I went to the P's, noticing they had it organized alphabetically. I picked out the book I was looking for and went to the table Felix was seated at. I sat across from him and opened the book to find one of my favorites.

"Poe fan, are we?" he asked, his eyebrow raised. He had an amused smile on his face. "You act quite old for someone so young." He shut his book and leaned back in his chair. I shrugged, reading the lines of The Raven.

"I like him," I said. "He's my favorite. He's easy to understand."

"And you are how old?" he asked. "You can't be more than eighteen, I assume."

"Nineteen," I corrected. Quoth the Raven, nevermore.

"Older woman, hm?" he questioned. I could hear the smile in his voice. I lifted my head and looked in his red eyes that matched everyone else's.

"Older woman?" I asked. "You're all older than me."

He had that smile on his face like he knew something I didn't, but that wasn't new. They all knew things I didn't. They were vampires.

"Did you miss the part when Aro said you were Alec's singer? Alec, in his physical age, is only eighteen. That makes you older in a way," he said. I think he was trying to hold in a laugh; he looked as amused as a baby with a toy in its face.

"I heard that, but I'd rather not know what it means. But does it have anything to do with my blood? You can all smell it, I assume," I said indifferently, looking back down at my stanza.

"Don't you notice the difference? Between us and Alec?" he asked, leaning forward across the table.

"He hates me and you don't?" I said blankly, reaching the third stanza. I tried focusing on the words, but it was getting difficult with Felix's questions. His booming laughter filled the room, which made me look up. His head was thrown back and he made a hitting motion on the table with his palm as if it was the funniest thing I ever said.

"Oh, man, that's a good one," he said, wiping fake tears away. "But no. Yeah, we can smell your blood, but to a vampire's singer, it's the most potent scent in the world; the most sweet smelling. It's impossible to resist. That's why he's being such a hard ass about it. Alec doesn't like feelings, hence his gift: cutting off the senses. He's always been the desensitized one, while Jane has been the vengeful type: inflicting pain."

That caught my attention and it all made sense, then. That night in the tour bus. He only ran off because...

 _"My, my, Alec's experience was truly difficult, wasn't it? A human who can change scent on account of feeling. How marvelous!"_

Aro's exclamation echoed in my head as I looked up at Felix, my attention no longer on one of Poe's darkest poems. I remembered then also that Jane claimed that her gift hadn't worked on me either. That's when I remembered seeing her at the concert. She was trying to inflict pain on me.

"But y'know, now that Aro's excited about your gift, he thinks you'll be more powerful than them as a vampire. And that's saying something. Nobody's been more powerful than the Witch Twins. Ever. Unless you count Bella Swan. But I guess you're basically another one of her because you could be a shield," he explained, rubbing his chin and looking toward the ceiling. My heart fell to my stomach every time I was mentioned as being a vampire.

"Witch Twins?" I asked, coming out of my memories. "They were from the Salem Witch Trials?"

Felix returned his attention back to me and waved his hand and shook his head.

"It's not my business to tell you," he replied. "Aren't you afraid of us? You pulled quite a stunt with the way you spoke to Aro. He's not happy about it, but it was bad ass." He picked his book up and scanned his eyes over the words on the page; they were moving very fast, like a cartoon's would.

"No, not really," I said quietly, trying to go back to my reading. "Yeah, you're vampires, but you're people, too. In a way."

"You think we're people?" he said slowly. "People don't feed on the blood of humans. Or animals, if you're like the Cullens. We're predators. We don't even look human."

"Well, you're not animals," I said calmly. "I see skin, the human bone structure, I hear the English language. You walk on two legs. You're a person to me."

I heard him mumble something that I couldn't make out, and he closed his book, rising from his seat.

"Well, what about Alec? Do you think of him the same way?" he asked curiously as he moved toward the bookshelf to return the book. I tore my eyes away from my book and watched him.

"I don't know him enough," I said. "Or at all, hardly. But people get angry like he does. People hate. It's human nature."

"But we're not human," he said, slipping the book neatly back in place. "We don't have blood running through our veins. We don't eat human food, we do not sleep; although once in a while, it would be nice to. We can run faster than the speed of sound and light. We have better reflexes, hearing, and sight than any animal combined. Now how is that human nature?"

Well, that explains how Alec got out of the tour bus so fast.

"You're capable of human emotions," I said, shrugging. "Anger, sadness, happiness, grief. You're not robots." I shut my book and rose from my seat to return it.

"So interesting, you're the first human who's ever called us that," he said, by my side in a millisecond. He took the book from my hand and returned it himself; he was back at the table just as quickly and sat down.

"Yeah, well," I said. "I'm going back to...my room," I said, even though I didn't really count it as that. "Nice to meet you." I added before heading to the door.

"Aw, but we didn't even get to know each other!" he whined, completely changing demeanors. He sounded like a ten year old who got grounded. "I was gonna ask you to play karaoke with me! Demetri needs pointers."

I stopped in my tracks, baffled by his request. Karaoke? He sings? Or was it just a sick joke? I turned slowly on my heel to face him, my brow raised.

"You sing karaoke," I said slowly.

"Oh yeah!" he said, sporting a huge grin. He hopped up from his seat and sped over to me. The breeze that came with it was chilling. Literally. He smelled like pine trees. "Demetri and I sing it all the time! But ol' Al won't let us sometimes. He throws stuff at us or uses his gift."

"Why?" I asked. "Why does he seem so...mean?"

"Like I said, it's not my business to tell you," he said formally. "Alec doesn't like to share his feelings. Sure, he is angry about you being here, but he's always been really...introverted. A person's life or their attitude can determine what their gift will be. Like Aro. His gift, if you didn't guess already, is to see people's pasts with just a touch. He wanted to see what gifts you have besides being a singer and changing scents. He's very confused right now; I suggest you not pull that next time."

"Who's Bella Swan?" I asked, remembering him saying that name earlier. "You said she's more powerful than Jane and Alec." His face lit up then like it was Christmas morning.

"Only the one defense against the Volturi and the most gorgeous vampire to walk this Earth," he said euphorically. He had a spacey look on his face. "She's part of the Cullen clan. When she was a human, she got mixed up with one of them; Edward Cullen. They're in love, but he had come to us to ask for death once. Aro denied him because of his gift, which is to read minds. Bella got into the incident and Aro found that his gift had no effect on her; he couldn't see anything from her past, and Jane couldn't inflict pain on her. None of us knew why until she became immortal; she then discovered that she was a shield. She can protect not only herself, but everyone around her. Aro believes you could have something like that because Jane had the same problem with you as she did Bella. But nobody knows for sure since you denied Aro's request."

"I'm sorry, I don't want him inside my head," I said. "He's not exactly one of my friends. Nobody is here. No offense."

He changed demeanors again.

"Eh, don't worry, we're gonna be great friends!" he exclaimed. "We are going to be seeing each other for the rest of eternity, aren't we?" He slung his arm around my shoulders.

"So whadda ya say? Will you sing karaoke with me? I'll prove I'm not as 'big bad wolf' as I seem. We only have so long before Alec returns from his trip to India. I like to get a good tune in," he added. I awkwardly moved out of the embrace.

"I'm not feeling musical right now," I said coldly. "It's pretty much what got me here. So, no thank you."

This wasn't my life anymore. I had no control over it. Everything was spiraling down like a hijacked plane and I was stuck.

I walked out of the room with a possibly saddened Felix. He didn't try to stop me.

Xxx

Four days.

Four days David has been a vampire and I haven't seen him at all. I was told that he woke up, but I wasn't allowed to see him. Heidi would inform me every so often about David since Alec strove to do just the opposite. Four days ago, he took me into town since Aro decided that I "was cooped up long enough" and deserved fresh air. We didn't speak to each other and it was a silent trip. He only spoke to ask me if I was hungry, which I declined. When he had come back from his mission a couple days after my conversation with Felix, he seemed a little happier than when he left, but he still hated being with me. The rest of the week went with him trying to throw any insult he could at me. He even pulled the same food incident sometimes, which called for Ray having to remake a few dishes. I stopped listening to it altogether and yesterday had decided to just try and be civil with him. We were in town again today and I planned to cut my hair off. Aro told me that he didn't want anyone to recognize me if my brother should still be here.

"You do need to cut your hair, you know," Alec said nonchalantly. "Your ends are as wretched as hay."

"Thanks," I said carelessly, looking at the world through a pair of sunglasses. I didn't know if he meant it or not, but I knew my hair was fine. He got mad when I reacted to his insults like that, but I just didn't care anymore. I didn't care when he threw my mattress off the bed frame to wake me up. I didn't care when he gripped my arm too tight and left bruises. I was worried for David. I would find some way to see him; they couldn't keep me from seeing him forever. Aro said it was just until he had his thirst under control. I wondered then if he liked the taste of blood right now.

Alec was staying in the shade, wearing his own pair and normal clothes. He looked strangely human, just like at the club, aside from the pale skin.

"I don't appreciate your responses," he said with warning. I stopped in my tracks then and looked at him. I stuck my hands in my pockets and just looked at him patiently like my dad used to do.

"What do you want me to say?" I said calmly. "I already told you. I don't care what you say to me. Call me any bad name in the book, and I won't care. I know you hate my guts and that's fine. You're not the first person to ever hate me. But I don't want to argue with you anymore. How I react to you is how I would react to any other person who wants to bully me."

I was pulled into the shade with him then. He had to use a human pace since people were around. He got so close to my face that our noses were practically touching. His cold grip on my arm was always in the same place so the bruises would overlap. I could smell him again. Old Spice without the spice. Clean.

"You would be dead already if it wasn't for Aro," he growled. "Don't cross me again, or things will get much worse. I can and I will find your dear brother if it comes down to that. You wouldn't like that very much, would you?" He smiled evilly, the tips of his pearly white teeth starting to show through his full lips.

He wouldn't. Wouldn't that count as exposure? My heart thumped in my chest at the possibility of him finding my brother. I didn't even know if he was still here or in the United States. _Don't let him get to you, he just wants a reaction._

"Find him, then," I said calmly. "No amount of bruises or broken plates will hurt me as much as I already am. Are you going to threaten to kill me next? Do that, too, then. Kill me, kill David."

He released my arm and took his sunglasses off. His eyes were disguised with blue contacts, making them look a vibrant purple. His narrowed gaze pierced through me as if he was deciding something. Or looking for something I couldn't see.

"You defy me, human," he said after a minute. "You so think that I wouldn't kill your dear loved ones?" His fingers brushed against my cheek and he leaned in close again. His breath was as cold as a bitter winter's wind, but smelled as delicious as any baked good or flower arrangement. I think my head swirled for a minute. _Focus._

"How ignorant of you," he said softly. He sounded amused instead of angry. I took the chance and pushed his hand away. I don't think he liked that very much, because his stony face was back. I turned on my heel and headed toward the hair salon, moving out into the sunny day. I didn't wait for him and went inside as fast as I could.

" _Ciao, benvenuto! Come posso aiutarla?"_ a woman asked. Her rich brown hair was curled and she was tall from wearing pumps. She had a nice light tan and glistening brown eyes. I stepped up to her at the desk. **(A/N: She asked, "How can I help you?")**

"You speak English?" I asked, taking my sunglasses off.

"Oooh, you are American girl!" she said, looking me over with excitement. I looked back for a minute out the door to see if Alec had followed me. I didn't see him anywhere. I turned back to the girl.

"Yes I am," I said, smiling at her. "And I'm getting my hair cut."

"Ah, _si, si_! What would you like to do with your hair? Beautiful color, yes!" she exclaimed, feeling my hair between her fingers.

"It's okay, Marcella, I have an open seat," I heard another girl say. I looked toward the voice, which sounded only a little Italian; it wasn't heavy like Marcella's. The girl was cleaning off one of the seats. Her shiny, healthy looking blonde hair came almost to her waist and was a little wavy. Her skin was lightly tanned like Marcella's and she had a three-quarter sleeve striped shirt that was tucked into her white denim shorts. On her feet were pretty silver sandals with gems. **(A/N: Link for those will be in my profile)**

"Oh, Ella, you are to go on your lunch," Marcella replied, tapping her watch with her nail.

"I'll get one last cut in, then I'll go," the blonde named Ella said, sticking her pretty pink bottom lip out. She looked like the kind of girl to be in magazines. I saw that she had light green eyes.

"Ah, fine, fine," Marcella said, throwing her arms up. She smiled at me. "Ella will do your hair, yes? Come, come." She motioned me with her hands, the bracelets on her wrists dangling. I complied and went over to Ella's chair and sat myself in it.

"Hi, how are you today?" Ella asked sweetly, clipping the hair sheet around my neck and pulling my hair out of it.

"I'm good," I said politely, despite my pounding heart. I thought Alec was supposed to be keeping an eye on me.

"Great," she replied happily. "How can I cut your hair?"

"Short," I said. "To my collarbone." I poked my collarbone for her to see where I wanted my hair to stop. "It probably needs to be thinned out too. And I also need my bangs cut. They might be really thick, too." I ruffled my bangs for her to see.

"Oh, that'll be so cute!" she said as she grabbed a comb and a spray bottle. She started spraying my hair and combing through it. "Is that all you want to do? Do you want to color it? Not that you need it, your hair is gorgeous already."

"No thanks," I said. "I'm just cutting it." I watched her comb my hair through the big mirror on her station. She nodded and concentrated on my hair.

"So, what are you doing here in Italy?" she asked curiously. "School trip, vacation?" She took my ends in her hand and tugged through a slight tangle.

"Yes," I lied. I didn't know how many people knew I was "missing" or if they even knew at all. "I didn't have time to get my haircut before I left home."

"I see," she said politely. "How long are you visiting here?" She measured the length off and started snipping at my hair.

 _I don't know. Eternity?_

"Only a couple of weeks," I lied again. I looked at her face in the mirror. She was concentrating on my hair. A bell chimed then and I saw her look toward the entrance.

"Hello," she called out distantly in greeting, then concentrated back on cutting my hair. She came around to the front and measured off my hair to the desired length before cutting it too.

" _Ciao, bella!_ " a man's voice called before Marcella tended to him. I looked at the man through the mirror. His hair was really curly and almost matched Marcella's color and his eyes were hazel from what I could see. His skin was tanner than hers, almost reaching a mocha color, and his jaw looked strong. He looked like an Italian native.

"How short do you want your bangs, sweetie?" she asked, combing them. I shifted my eyes to my reflection and showed her so they would end above my eyebrows, almost to the middle of my forehead.

"Right about here," I said. "Above my eyebrows."

"Got it," she said, nodding. She took the hair in her hands and started snipping at it, layering it up. I watched the wet hair slide down the hair sheet onto the floor. I wondered where Alec was. I appreciated the privacy, but what would he do while I'm just sitting here? I thought about David and when I would see my friend again. I thought about Travis and wondered if he was still here. If Kelly was in on the search, and if Ned was still here. Was he worried too?

"You like visiting Italy so far?" Ella asked, interrupting me from my thoughts. "It is a beautiful place."

"It's nice," I replied. "Are you from Italy?"

"I moved here when I was little," she replied. "I was too young to remember, but Italy is home to me. I'll go back to America someday though. I really want to go to California. They have great opportunities for beauty production." She got excited at the end and switched her scissors out for thinning shears.

"You like beauty stuff," I stated. She nodded, combing through a section of hair where she thinned it out.

"Yes, it's a very important subject to me," she said. "When I started my new life, I was interested in it. Clothes, make up, everything. It's my passion, and you're a very good model to work on. You have lovely hair and a very beautiful face. Have any boys caught your eye here?" She asked jokingly.

 _No, more like I was literally caught._

"Um, no," I said shyly. "I don't date. I'm not that kind of person." I felt my hair getting lighter and it felt a lot better. She was almost done, reaching the left side of my hair and let out a giggle. It sounded sweet like a little girl's laughter.

"I admire that," she said. "Ah, we are done now. How does it feel now?" She ruffled my hair and I felt it.

"It's good. Thank you," I said politely. She nodded and unclipped the sheet from around my neck. It really did look good. I looked older and felt better. **(A/N: If you want to see what it looks like, check my profile pic or the image cover of this story)**

I checked my pocket for the leftover money Robert had given us and counted how much I had while making my way to the front of the store. Robert. I wondered if he knew about this. I wasn't looking and accidentally bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry," I said politely, looking up. It was the guy who came in with the curly brown hair. I moved around him to the counter where Ella was waiting.

"Ah, no worries! I was not looking myself," he replied in his cheery Italian accent. "My apologies."

I smiled in return and counted the rest of my money.

"Ten euros, please," Ella said. I took out a pink colored bill with a big "10" on it and gave it to her. She smiled and took it, putting it in the register. "Thank you! I hope you like your hair, honey."

"I do, thank you," I said back politely and put the rest of the bills back in my pocket. I put my sunglasses back on and left the salon out into the sunshine. I looked around for any sight of Alec and came up empty. He told me before we left the castle earlier that he was taking me to eat and wouldn't let me protest. I didn't know where he was taking me because there were about four places to choose from. I internally shrugged and traveled down the cobblestone sidewalk, looking through the windows of the shops. I think Heidi bought some of my clothes from there. I realized she swapped out some of my clothes and that's why she looked so disappointed that day after coming out of the closet. **(A/N: Again, Heidi wasn't coming out of the closet, she was coming out of the closet! Okay? Okay!)** Originally she had all kinds of lace tops, sundresses, bejeweled shorts, heels, and flats, but when I entered the closet a couple days later, it was all switched for things I would wear: T-shirts, shorts, tennis shoes, flip flops, solid colors, and even a band shirt or two. I didn't know why she switched it that day.

"Going for a boy look?" said a voice in my ear and I jumped, my hand flying to my chest. I turned around to meet Alec, who laughed at my reaction. Crap, it was a nice laugh; smooth, perfect and...boyish. It made him look like the complete opposite of his cold, rigid demeanor. He looked normal for a moment.

"No," I mumbled, removing my hand from my chest. "That's not funny, either."

His laughter stopped immediately and his face was serious again. It was like he never laughed and I had just imagined it.

"On the contrary, human, I find myself laughing at your hideous choice in hairstyle. It's simply atrocious," he said seriously, moving past me. His smell breezed across my nose and I had to stop myself from breathing it in deeply. He radiated cold despite the September warmth. I followed him, ignoring his comments about my hair.

"You've made it clear that you don't like anything about me and that you hate me," I said, walking beside him. "You don't have to keep implying it, I understand."

He scoffed then. "You do not understand anything. You do not understand how powerful the Volturi is and how lenient Aro is being with you for rejecting him. You do not understand how easily I could kill you or how easily I could kill anyone you love. You do not understand that if you keep behaving the way you are, I will not hold back next time in punishing you," he said coldly, stopping to lean close to my face like before. "We do not enjoy your company. I do not enjoy your company. My sister does not enjoy your company and I will hurt someone to make you understand this if it comes to that. Call my bluff on my promises and I will make sure you never see David. Do I make myself clear, human?"

My heart thudded at his acidic tone and the seriousness in it. He really meant it. Keep calm. I remembered then that he called me ignorant for defying him _. Just listen to him, go with it._

"Yes," I said shortly. He leaned back up to his height and smiled satisfactorily.

"Good," he said evilly. "This way, then." He turned and we continued on to the restaurant. He opened the door for me and the smell of all kinds of Italian food filled my nose. It smelled good, but my heart was still thudding from his threat. But threats and promises were two different things. With Alec, they seemed to be the same.

" _Ciao, quanti?_ " a waitress asked from the podium. She didn't look a day over her twenties and was eyeing Alec like candy. She batted her eyelashes. **(A/N: "Hi, how many?")**

" _Due_ ," he replied smoothly in Italian. He could pull an accent off easily. However old he was, I assumed he knew many languages. Felix said it wasn't his business to tell me, but I didn't want to ask since it wasn't my business either.

" _Si, si,"_ she replied flirtatiously and showed us to our table, swinging her hips on purpose as she walked. I glanced at him for a moment; if he noticed what she was doing at all, he didn't buy into it. In fact, he looked like he wanted to laugh at her. She put our menus on the table and kept her eyes on him the whole time.

"Is this all right?" she asked in Italian, her lips curved into a smile.

"Yes, thank you," he replied back tonelessly, simply sitting down in his seat and I followed suit, taking my sunglasses off and using it as a head band.

"Please let me know if you need anything," she said seductively, leaning purposefully to show off her cleavage. Alec removed his sunglasses and looked her in the eyes with a charming smile back.

" _Si, lo farò_ ," he said smoothly. I ignored them and read my menu, looking over the choices. Pastas, pizzas, antipasto, breads, soups. I quickly decided on minestrone. **(A/N: "Yes, I will.")**

"I hope you don't plan on keeping me here for an hour," he said seriously. I looked up and the woman was gone. I set my menu down and met his eyes, which were starting to show some crimson around the edges. His contacts were making his eyes a light lavender now.

"I already picked," I said calmly. "Your contacts are fading."

"Do you want to repeat what you just said, human?" he asked threateningly, raising an eyebrow. The waitress came up to our table then. Her eyes widened hungrily at the sight of Alec and she fluffed her hair.

"Hello, my name is Natalia. I'll be your waitress today. What can I get for you to drink?" she asked in Italian, keeping her eyes on him. He looked to me expectantly, his expression still hard.

" _Agua_ ," I replied to him in Spanish, pushing my menu away. He raised an eyebrow at me, but looked to her and gave my order. Her smile grew as she asked him something else. He replied disinterestedly and gave his menu back to her, including mine.

"I assume you know what you want," he stated to me.

"Minestrone," I said. He told her in Italian, never taking his eyes off me. She glanced at me with a nasty look and snatched the menus out of his hand. She mumbled something in Italian before storming off. He smirked and slowly stood up from his seat.

"I'm going to change my contacts," he said. "Don't move an inch." He left then, leaving me alone. The slight devious side of me was saying to make a run for the entrance as soon as he was out of sight, but I knew he would catch me. Nothing ever got past Alec. I looked around the restaurant, wondering if anyone recognized me. My eyes prickled with tears; I missed my brother. He was the person I was closest to besides David. I once considered us twins because we were so close. Now we were all broken up. We were all separated. I didn't know where he was, but I missed him. If this was fate's plan for us, I knew somewhere that fate wouldn't have us separated forever. I had to see my brother again, didn't I? I wasn't damned completely to immortality, was I?

The waitress came back with my water and my soup, setting it down sloppily in front of me.

"Where's your friend?" she asked in Italian, looking around. I could tell she was faking nice.

"I'm sorry, I don't speak Italian," I said apologetically, picking up my spoon. She rolled her eyes.

"Where is the boy? Your friend?" she asked blankly in English.

"The bathroom," I said, starting on my soup. It was really good; I had only had a frozen minestrone from Bertolli's that I bought from Walmart. It was never as close as this. The chicken was moist, the vegetables and pasta were fresh, and the broth was fantastic. It comforted me in a way.

"Hmph," she said, turning away with disappointment, leaving me to my soup. I was on my fourth spoonful when Alec came back, his eyes a deep violet again.

"You're practically drinking your soup," he said, sitting down. I swallowed and took a drink of my water.

"Thanks for the info," I said, placing my glass down and switching it for my spoon again.

"Human," he said. I looked at him.

"Yes?" I said. His eyes were starting to show red at the edges again as they burned with anger. I was starting to become immune to it because he was angry every day.

"You're so very close to getting something worse than bruises," he warned.

"I don't understand why we can't just be civil," I said. He scoffed at my statement and rolled his eyes.

"We are not friends, _human_ ," he spat the word with venom in his voice. "I am above you and I always will be. You do what I tell you and you will do it."

"There's a difference between being friends and being civil," I stated. "I never said we were friends. I'm just asking for this to stop."

"If I cared at all, human, I would be listening to you," he said. "Do not speak another word."

I remembered that Felix told me Alec didn't like to show his feelings, hence his gift, but I still believed he was capable of human emotions just like anyone else. He just didn't want to show it. I was about to add something when someone beat me to it.

" _Ciao, bella!_ " a slightly familiar voice sang in Italian, coming closer to our table. I looked toward the sound and the guy from the hair salon was heading towards us. He stopped at our table, grinning with excitement. "We meet again, eh?"

"Oh, yeah, hi," I said, smiling back at him. I was actually sort of glad he was here and I was actually happy for a moment. "What are you doing here?"

"You performed at the club, _si_? I come to ask you for autograph. I almost forgot," he said cheerily and apologetically, taking out a pen. I was surprised because no one ever asked me for my autograph before. I never thought about people asking me.

"Oh, um, sure," I said, taking the pen. "I don't have any paper, though." _Whoa, deja vu._

He held up his hand and lifted his shirt and pointed to his defined abs. I was even more surprised at that and I think I started turning pink.

"You want me to sign your abs?" I asked uncertainly, meeting his brown eyes. I glanced at Alec and he looked annoyed at the guy. I looked back to the man and he burst out laughing then, pulling his shirt back down.

"Ah, I am just kidding, eh?" he said, patting my arm once. He reached into his pocket and took out a white cloth. "This is my lucky handkerchief. Is very special to me. It belonged to my grandfather. I think you sing beautifully and I have nothing else with me. Will you please sign it?" He handed it to me and I think I heard Alec growl in warning to me. It looked like it was made of silk. I took it carefully.

"Yeah," I said politely, folding it quickly and testing the pen on my palm. When I got some ink to run, I put the handkerchief on my lap and looked back up at him. "What's your name?"

"Manny," he said, giving me a nice smile. I looked back down at the handkerchief and signed, _To Manny- Cheyenne_ on it before handing it and the pen back to him.

"There you go," I said, smiling at him. He turned my hand over and kissed it before slipping the items out of my hand and smiling back at me. It surprised me and a blush rose to my cheeks again.

" _Grazi, bella_ ," he said. He stood up straight then and winked at me before walking away.

"You shouldn't have done that, human," Alec growled. "You could have exposed us. Do you know what you've done?"

He was saying more, but I couldn't hear him because my eyes landed on someone else.

Oh God, no. Can it be?

He was standing at a table almost halfway across the room, pointing to something on his phone to a young couple. He looked worried and sleepless and his clothes were rumpled along with his unkempt hair.

 _Oh, dear brother. My brother._

My heart ached and flooded with relief at the same time. My mind screamed to run to him, to safety. I wanted to hug him. I wanted to run over there and tell him I was okay. I wanted to tell him that I missed him. I wanted to beg him to get me out of here. I wanted to run right out of that door with my brother.

But I couldn't. I blinked back the immediate tears and I interrupted Alec.

"We have to go," I said hurriedly, rising from my seat. "Now."

He looked in the direction of my brother and rose from his seat as well and reached into his pocket. He looked at me, his face emotionless.

"Out the door, now," he commanded.

 _I'm sorry, brother. God, I'm sorry. I love you._

I did what he said and went toward the entrance of the restaurant. I looked back at my brother one more time before going out into the September heat. His face broke my heart and I forced myself to not look back again. I kept moving my feet along the sidewalk, getting further away from the restaurant, realizing that may have been the last time I ever see my brother again.

"This way," I heard from beside me. Alec took my arm and led me into an alley way.

"Get on my back," he commanded, bending down. I hesitated at first, but complied and did what he said, though it felt strange. I had never been this close to him or even touched him. He was always the one touching me by grabbing my arm and such. He was so cold as I held onto his shoulders and he held my legs up.

"Close your eyes if you don't want to get sick," he warned before running. Colors blurred past and I couldn't make out any shapes. The warm wind was making my hair fly gently in the air. It was all moving so fast and I took his word on closing my eyes. I didn't know how much time passed before we stopped moving.

"You can let go now," he said. I opened my eyes and sure enough, we were standing in a dim lit hallway that I recognized as the castle. I jumped down from his back and he started down the long corridor. I followed him, still in shock from seeing my brother. I couldn't believe it was him. He should be eating; he shouldn't worry for me. I noticed he was by himself. Where was Kelly? Where was Ned? Were they helping at all? Did they just leave him? My head was spinning and my heart was pounding. My body was buzzing with adrenaline and I tried to keep my composure as we went toward the throne room. Alec pushed the doors open and revealed the three Masters sitting at their thrones like always. Aro in a black suit, black shoes, and black tie and Caius and Marcus in robes.

"Ah, our dear ones have returned," Aro crooned, bringing his hands together. "Ah, your hair looks marvelous, dear Cheyenne. What a change!" He rose from his seat. Alec stopped a few feet from him and bowed his head.

"Master," he said respectfully. Aro looked to me and then Alec.

"I do trust you took care of her as I per requested," he stated. "Her heart is beating quite rapidly. What is the cause of this?"

Alec held out his hand to Aro, who took it greedily and shut his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, he looked at Alec a bit sternly before glancing at me.

"Oh dear, that is quite a problem," Aro crooned sadly. He held out his hand to me. Still, after the week that I've been here, I denied his touch. "Did you sign your name to this Manny, dear?"

"Yes," I said calmly, despite my buzzing insides.

"May I see?" he asked, holding out his hand to me. I flicked my eyes to his hand and back to his milky red eyes.

"I'm sorry," I said, bowing my head once. I was playing along to gain his trust. I could surely pretend to grow to like Aro himself and this place. "All I ask for is time."

He moved his hand back slowly and his eyes narrowed a little. He was clearly disappointed, but nodded his head once.

"As you wish, my dear, you've had quite the start," he said. "I do wonder what to do with your dear brother. You are quite close with him, aren't you? As much as your friend David."

I didn't reply; I knew he was trying to get into my head just like the first day we got here. If Aro wanted satisfaction, he wouldn't get it. I had to be strong for both my brother and David.

"Answer, you fool!" Caius hissed at me, the permanent scowl on his face. "We do not tolerate such disrespect from a low-"

"Caius," Aro said, studying me. "Please, the child has had such a hard time. May I see your arm, my dear?" He pointed to my right arm. I looked at it and realized that he must have seen Alec gripping me all the time when he used his gift. I looked back to Aro and lifted my arm.

"Alec," Aro said slowly, shifting his eyes to his acquaintance. "My dear son, I gave you specific instructions. She is very valuable to us, and to you, I am hoping? We must remember her fragility."

"Master," he said softly, bowing his head again. "I apologize for my actions and my behavior."

"I'm fine, really," I assured Aro. "I have high pain tolerance."

"Alec, please stay for a moment," Aro said, his eyes on me. "I would like to discuss your behavior. Demetri." He snapped his fingers and I heard the throne doors open.

"Yes, Master?" Demetri asked, immediately in place between Alec and me, bowing too.

"Please take Cheyenne to her room, and get some ice for her arm," he said. Demetri nodded.

"Yes, Master. This way, love," Demetri said, turning on his heel toward the exit. I turned to follow him and Aro's words stopped me from going any further.

"I do apologize dearly for your injuries," Aro said. "I do hope you will forgive our dear Alec."

I turned my head and looked at Alec himself, who looked right back at me. His face was blank as always and his contacts were completely dissolved, but he did something that surprised me.

He smiled. He smiled and it was beautiful. He looked almost human for that moment, but I knew better. Between his growl at the restaurant, his anger, and his close proximity from our conversation before my haircut, I couldn't tell if it was genuine. I just went with my instinct.

"Sure," I ground out, and started to leave with Demetri, but Aro spoke again.

"Your actions will call for a death sentence, child," he crooned after me. "We cannot risk anymore exposure."

I stopped immediately and froze. I knew I was going to die. I turned around slowly.

"Death sentence," I repeated. He stepped down and slowly sauntered.

"Yes, we will have to fake your death, I'm afraid," he said sadly. "Your brother will be deeply inconsolable and I do apologize in advance."

My heart sunk more deeply than ever at the thought of that. The thought of my brother finding out I was dead was agonizing and I couldn't bear it. I think my soul was starting to hurt itself from this. I forced the tears back and my own words.

"That will be all," Aro said, turning back to his throne. I could've sworn there was a small smile across his face and I wanted to smack it off. I turned and left with Demetri, crying and screaming on the inside.

"You're a brave human," he mused. "I'm surprised Aro hasn't issued a worse punishment for you. Not even Jane speaks to him that way. Or to Alec."

Demetri and I were slowly becoming friends. We didn't talk much, I had forgiven him for biting David. Felix would still beg me to sing karaoke with them, which I still declined. I wasn't in much of a singing mood anymore since I've been here, but I would occasionally hum in the shower. Alec hated me singing because of my supposed gift and I didn't want everyone to gather around me when I did sing.

"I'm already punished," I replied grimly. I could feel the adrenaline wearing off and fatigue starting to take its place. Tears were constantly threatening to spill out of my eyes.

"It will get easier," he promised. "Once a century passes, and you'll have Alec for the rest of eternity. That's a long while to become friends. Or more so than." He smiled mischievously. He always made jokes about me and Alec like that and it was starting to get old.

"The day I become friends or 'more so than' with Alec is the day you marry Heidi," I said. He may be a charmer, but Felix told me he was too chicken to become anything more than physically beneficial to Heidi. Sometimes I would hear them from my own room during the day and when I did, I sat in the closet.

Demetri stopped in his tracks and I stopped a step above him.

"That's a low blow, human," he said seriously. He didn't call me a human in an insulting way like Alec or Caius did. He only used it as a mom-using-your-middle-name warning. His amused look was gone and he seemed clammed up about it.

"Forgive me," I said wearily, taking the last steps up. I went straight to my bedroom with Demetri following me and dragged myself into bed.

"I'll return with your ice," was all he said before I heard the door close and the world fade around me.

 **I'm SO SORRY for not updating! You're probably thinking, "WHERE THE FLIPPITY FLOP HAVE YOU BEEN WITH MY NEW CHAPTER? DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I'VE BEEN WAITING?" Yes, I do know, it's just that I didn't have any ideas or inspiration and I couldn't finish this chapter. But I did, and so here it is. The next chapter is one I had planned, so it should come quicker. So, questions:**

 **Who liked Manny? *raises hand* MEEEE. I just needed some comic relief since David is absent. Speaking of David:**

 **Who misses David? *raises hand* ME, I DO! Don't worry, he'll come back next chapter, so get ready for a reunion and tears of joy!**

 **Speaking of tears, poor Travis :( Who hated the faking death sentence? Brother and sister are separated and I'm afraid they will be for quite a while. *wails* WHY IS THE WORLD SO CRUEL? WHY CAN'T THEY JUST BE TOGETHER?**

 **Well, because the world doesn't work like that.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you like the next one just as much.**

 **P.S. How many of you think Cheyenne parallels to Maximus Deciumus Meridius? She doesn't act like that to copy him, that's purely her character. I wanted to parallel this to Gladiator sort of, because it's my favorite movie.**

 **Review please, and Alec will throw you some roses! :D**


	13. Song Requests and Mortal Kombat

**CPOV**

 _There was smoke._

 _Smoke lifted through the cracks of the door to the throne room. It stung my eyes and made my throat itch as I ran to it and flung the doors open._

 _"Ah, my dear, you've arrived!" Aro sang as I retreated inside, but everything was normal. There was no smoke. I scanned the room, looking at the marble, the walls, the pillars._

 _"Do you know what you've done, my dear?" he asked softly. I looked to him again and the room was engulfed in flames. Orange and red colored the pale room. What I saw behind Aro terrified me the most._

 _Travis, David, Ned, Robert, Kelly, Ella, Manny, Phillip, Danny, Felix, Demetri, Jane, and Heidi were all in a pile._

 _Dead._

 _And right on top of that pile was Alec._

 _"Alec!" I cried. I looked to Aro and his deceiving milky red orbs. "What have you done?"_

 _A buzzing sound grew in my ears and it turned maniacal and high pitched. Aro was laughing. And worst of all, Caius was laughing with him, but Marcus remained still. He killed them all. They were all dead._

 _"Oh, it's not what I have done," he purred, reaching into his suit jacket. He pulled out a small silver object and flipped it open. A small flame birthed through the top._

 _"It is what you have done," he said, grinning evilly before throwing the lighter right on the pile. "If only you would have listened."_

 _"No!" I screamed, tears streaming down my face._

 _They were all gone._

 _They were all gone._

 _Alec was gone and it was my fault._

 _Despite the terminating heat of the flames, I felt cold. Aro sauntered, almost floated over to me and handed me a broken shard of glass._

 _"Welcome, my dear," he purred. I looked into the shard of glass and what stared back at me, I did not recognize._

 _I had bright red eyes._

 _I had pale skin and a beauty that wasn't quite natural. My lips were no longer light pink, but rose pink. My lashes were unusually long and dark. All my features fit together perfectly like a puzzle and my hair was a shade darker, making it not almost bronze, but almost chocolate, and it fell in perfect waves, ending just above my breasts. It was as if I never cut it._

 _I lifted my head to meet Aro's eyes again, but he wasn't there anymore._

 _Alec was, and he was shaking me. His lips were moving, but I couldn't hear him._

 _He was alive?_

"Wake up human, you're dreaming," he hissed as I shot up in the bed. My heart was pounding and my face was wet and sticky with tears while my body was dewed with sweat. His cold hands were on my shoulders and I noticed I had the sleeve of his shirt in my own. I couldn't see him; the room was dark now and I realized I slept longer than I intended to. I released him, trying to shake off the dream. It seemed so real. Too real. It was the only other dream that had made me cry like that. I only woke up crying sometimes when I dreamed of my dad.

But this was much worse. Never had I dreamed of all the people I care about (most of them) being burned in a pile. I felt my body shaking slightly as Alec removed his hands from my shoulders. I was surprised by the cold feel of his thumb moving across my cheek briefly and it rose goosebumps on my skin. I could smell him. Clean. It went through my nose and filled my head and I resisted shuddering. Stop smelling him.

"Are you all right?" he asked in his normal monotone. I nodded my head and felt something cold on my arm. I touched the top of my arm; Demetri had returned with my ice, but he hadn't stayed. He had wrapped it in a pack for me, too, and I started to take it off. My whole arm was cold. Cold. Just like I was in the dream. Immortal. I had been a vampire. I had red eyes.

I took the pack off and rubbed my arm for warmth. It was the only part of my body that was cold. Alec pressed the back of his hand to my cheek and then moved to my forehead, which shocked me once more. Why was he touching me like this? I slightly bent away from it to my confusion, though it was helping my feverish state. He took the ice pack from me.

"Do you always say my name in your sleep?" he asked amusedly, and while I ignored it, it made a blush creep to my cheeks. Had my cry reached my physical body too?

"Can vampires die?" I barely uttered instead. My heart was thudding as the image of Aro tossing the lighter on him invaded my mind. Felix told me vampires are strong, fast, and agile, but he never said they could die. I had only known Alec for a week and I cared about him. He may hate me, but I still believed there was some part of him that was capable of other human emotions. He just chose not to use them, as Felix said. I didn't know what kind of past he and Jane had, but I had a feeling it stemmed from that.

"What kind of stupid question is that?" he asked. I heard soft movement coming from him and it sounded close.

"I'm serious," I said softly. There was a long pause before he answered me in the darkness. The only light provided was the moonlight from the window outside.

"Was that your dream, human?" he asked icily. There was something else underlying his tone, and I couldn't put my finger on it.

"How can you die?" I asked softly. There was another pause.

"Fire," he said grudgingly. My heart dropped. Was everyone going to die because of me? Even Alec? What had I done that caused them all to die? Was it me signing my name? Was it me not listening to Alec? Was it me sending a text message to my brother?

"Tell me who died in your dream," he said in the same tone. "Was it your precious friend David?" He snorted. I shut my eyes briefly before answering; my nose tingled as the tears gathered and I blinked them back.

"You did," I whispered. I didn't add the part about his sister. It would make him angry. "You died. From fire."

His hand cupped my chin and my head was turned in some direction, I guessed, to face him. I could see the outline of him in the darkness and I could also smell him again because he was so close. I felt the chill radiating from him and it felt good on my face. My heart started beating faster and I cursed it.

"Listen to me," he said softly but sternly. It didn't sound angry or as harsh as he usually did. He sounded like he was almost reassuring me. "I am a Volturi member. I am the most feared vampire in this world and I've been existing longer than you can imagine. No one would dare step in my direction unless they're stupid enough to think they have a chance. I will not die unless it is to save my sister. I was assigned to guard you because I am the most responsible and well trained. I will not allow anyone to get within a reasonable distance of me or of you, so don't worry yourself, sweetheart. Is that clear?"

I had a strange feeling building in my chest that was comforting. His words, although he sarcastically called me "sweetheart" and kept his usual barrier up, washed over me warmly and I believed him.

 _Get a hold of yourself._

I snapped out of it and gave him an answer with my heart thudding.

"Yes," I said shortly. I was expecting him to let go of me, but he didn't. In fact, he didn't move an inch.

"My presence does appeal to you, doesn't it, human?" he asked amusedly. I reached up and moved his hand off of my face.

"Good night, Alec," I said sternly and calmly, laying down and facing away from him. While I wasn't as spooked by my dream now, I couldn't put my finger on my reactions to him. He thought he was irresistible to the female gender, yet he hated to show feelings. I knew what his demeanor was, yet my heart sped up when he spoke or when he did certain things. I diagnosed it as inexperience because I've never dated or had any boy touch me in any way that was intimate.

I shut my eyes and pushed away my swirling thoughts.

 **APOV**

"Alec, my son," Aro spoke to me, pacing slowly. The human further pissed me off with her antics in town by signing a worthless slip of cloth for a hormone-raged fan and responding in ways that did not please me. I cursed myself everyday for strangely liking it and seeking to get on her nerves even more. Her calm, outside exterior and intellect was starting to intrigue me and I hated it. The way she spoke and the way she reacted to everything I did to her was not that of a normal human female, which flared anger in me, although I laughed at the way I squirmed her heartbeat. My threat of harm to David got through to her when my bruising did not. "Do you remember what I said about handling the human?"

"Yes, Master," I said. "I was only trying to control her, as she disrespected my requests. The Volturi do not tolerate disrespect."

He nodded slowly, thoughtfully. Aro was still unhappy with the human's refusal of him to see into her past, and when he issued the imminent false announcement of her death, I wanted to laugh at her pain. She would never truly know pain like Jane and I have with no love of a father and the loss of a mother. Aro is the father I should have had.

"Yes, that is correct," he mused. "But she is your mate. Is she aware of that yet? Do mates not treat each other gently and with respect despite the circumstances? And with love?" He raised an eyebrow at me and paused in his pacing. He continued to hammer on the mate terms and it still made me curse my life. I still believed she could not possibly be my mate, whether she was to be immortal or not. Love was not real; it was a mere fantasy led by the hormones of the human body that blinded fools. Love did not exist to me. I loved Jane, yes; but she was my sister and it was a different kind of love. It was a sibling bond, as she was my twin, my female counterpart. The intimate love Aro spoke of would never occur for me.

"She is not aware," I answered. "I am afraid, Master, that love is not something I believe in. I will treat her gently as you ask, but I will not love her. She is my singer, but I do not believe she is my mate. The only love I require comes from Jane, and from you."

His lips stretched into a knowing smile and he stepped forward to me.

"Do treat her gently from now on," he spoke airily. "We do not need her escaping us. And ah, yes, you will be escorting her in our welcoming ball. How lovely you will look together. I do trust you are all right with this?"

"Yes, Master," I said, bowing before him and landing my eyes on Chelsea. Aro requested her after Demetri took the human to her room.

You know her name, the nagging voice spoke in my mind. You know you enjoy the sound of it, and you know you want to see her in formal attire. Or nothing at all.

"Chelsea," Aro said simply. "Do fix the bonds of our dear David. Perhaps Cheyenne will rethink her loyalty if her friend is persuaded."

Chelsea's red painted lips stretched into a grin at the request. She had previously attempted to lay with me, but I denied her with harsh words. Blonde women were not in my female attraction pool.

 _That's because your mate is brunette._

"Yes, Aro," she said happily, stepping gracefully down the steps. She winked at me as she passed me and I gave her a glare in return as I left the throne room myself.

"Brother," my sweet sister voiced to me. Her pearl lips moved into a smile as we embraced and I kissed her hair.

"Sister, how are you? I've not seen you in days," I replied. Jane was helping the newborn David control his thirst, which I despised.

"Hopefully it will not be that way again," she replied. "He keeps asking for the human. It's utterly annoying. I've had to use my gift to my advantage." She grinned deviously at the end and I returned it.

"Once they are reunited, perhaps we will have a chance to catch up with each other," I assured her. "It won't be long now. How is he handling it?"

"Pitifully at first," she scoffed. "He doesn't listen, that one. He considerably improved since his awakening, but acts as if the world is ending." She rolled her eyes. "If I hear about that human one more time..."

"Jane," I soothed. "Perhaps we should let Aro review his behavior. The sooner he approves, the sooner we will not have to deal with them." An odd tug at my dead heart made me regret my words. I've been around the human too much.

"Perhaps, brother," she replied. I nodded and kissed her head once more.

"I must go now, dear sister," I said ruefully. "I must babysit the human."

 _Not a good remark._

Shut up.

"Come see me, brother," she said sadly, kissing my cheek. "I miss you terribly."

"As I miss you, Jane," I said, and we parted ways.

This ball was either going to be very interesting or very utterly boring as they all are. An idea came into my mind right then, and I smirked to myself.

I'll make it a ball she won't soon forget. I ignored the nagging conscience in my mind as I formulated it into place.

Xxx

The way she slept added even more to my insanity. What I hated most was that I liked it. I liked the way she slept and I couldn't stop studying her. The way she breathed, what her heart sounded like. She never snored or drooled like other humans, and at that moment, I longed to know what she was dreaming and what sleeping was like. It has been so many years since I have slept. While I sometimes thought about sleep, I preferred my immortality. Humanity was a bitter time that I wish not to relive.

As I watched her, I developed an urge to reach out and touch her skin. Her skin, which was always a mix of warm and cool. Her skin that flushed when I spoke to her in intimidating ways.

 _Just one touch._

I kept my eyes on her closed eyelids as I reached out and brushed my fingers across her cheek. Her scent was overwhelming my senses as it always did. The thirst for her never wavered, though I was attempting to resist it. What I wouldn't give for one taste of her warm, red life force to flow down my throat and fill me. Perhaps it would make me considerably stronger than other humans' blood.

 _You are definitely mates._

I growled at the voice in my head; I would do anything to silence it for good, and I had a feeling my plan for the ball would do just that.

 _You should rethink that._

I whipped my hand away from her cheek and grabbed the comforter to conceal her when something caught my eye. A soft pink color with a rectangle shape protruded from her pocket and I removed it. The human's cell phone. Curiously, I pressed the little white button to activate the screen and the first window that showed up was some messaging.

 _We're fine._

 **Where are you? Call me right now and tell me.**

 **Answer me.**

 **We're looking for you. Where are you? Where is David?**

 **Please answer me if you're alive.**

The name of the contact was Hermano; so this was her brother. I scrolled up through previous messages that contained traces of Spanish and jokes. Reading them, I discovered that she was close to him.

Almost close like Jane and I.

See what you've done now?

I searched other areas of her cell phone curiously, such as her music list. She was a singer, much to my dismay, and I assumed she had a lot of music.

 _The Eagles, Linkin Park, Three Days Grace, Evanescence, Ellie Goulding, Tove Lo, Taylor Swift._ What is an Owl City? _Skillet?_ What the hell? Today's music branding was such an abomination. _One Republic? I snorted. Republicans. Idiots. Paramore, spelled incorrectly. Breaking Benjamin, Maroon 5, Coldplay, Matchbox 20, Don Henley, Ed Sheeran, The Fray, Greyson Chance. Imagine Dragons? My Darkest Days, Rise Against, Selena Gomez, Zedd._

The only considerably good band on this odd list was the Eagles. The music made today was hardly considered music to me.

Her heartbeat increased and I diverted my attention away from the cellular device, shutting the screen off. Her face was scrunching up as if to cry. I could hear the tears rushing through the ducts in her eyes.

"Alec," she breathed in horror. The tears spilled down her face; I could smell sweat gathering on her body. The way she said my name never sounded better, not even from Jane. I wanted to hear her say it again, possibly in an erotic manner.

 _Shut up, she's having a bad dream, you idiot._

I placed the phone down and shook her shoulders as gently as I could, though I preferred to throttle her.

"Cheyenne," I said blankly. "It's a dream, wake up. Wake up, human, you're dreaming!" I hissed. She shot up straight and I had the strange feeling in my chest again. I had a drawing feeling to comfort her and kill all her nightmares. I pushed that away, remembering my anger at her. Her fingers were gripping my shirt, which I hadn't had the chance to switch for my Volturi attire. I moved my hands away from her shoulders, ignoring the tingling burn they left.

Damn human.

"Are you all right?" I asked carelessly, wiping the wetness off of her cheek. Her thumping heart stuttered at my touch and I smirked. She nodded her head and moved her hand to her arm where Demetri placed ice and removed it, rubbing it after. The flush on her cheeks was still there and I reached out to feel for a fever. She didn't smell sick in any way, though her blood rushing fast was not helping me at all. Her heart skipped again from my touch and she leaned away from it in the slightest. I smirked again and placed the ice pack on the night stand.

"Do you always say my name in your sleep?" I asked, itching for a reaction. Blood flowed to her cheeks and I was satisfied until she asked the most blunt question.

"Can vampires die?" she mumbled. Her heart worked harder to beat and I suspected that was her nightmare. She had dreamed of me certainly, since she uttered my name. I could make her dream of plenty of other things...

"What kind of stupid question is that?" I ridiculed, stepping closer to her. She didn't seem wavered by my tone and continued with her curiosity.

"I'm serious."

I hated speaking of the begrudging way of our death. Only dismembering us and setting us on fire could truly destroy a vampire. Fire was not only my enemy in immortality, but in my human life as well. The way the people chanted. The way I looked at Jane. The way she looked at me; sadness and fear reflected in her blue eyes that had matched mine.

"Was that your dream, human?" I hissed at her. I despised her even more for dreaming of such a thing.

"How can you die?" she continued to ignore me and it further angered me. I decided to give her an answer so she would surely shut up.

"Fire," I ground out, resulting in her heart increasingly thudding. She attempted to control her breathing, but to no avail on her part. I rolled my eyes.

"Tell me who died in your dream, human," I requested. "Was it your precious friend David?" I snorted, wanting to laugh at the image. It filled me with a happiness I received when I got to kill.

Her answer, however, was far from my imagination. It shocked even me. Her eyes closed and opened again; I could smell tears gathering in her eyes.

"You did," she whispered. "You died. From fire."

In one swift motion I captured her chin in my hand and turned her head toward me. This is not something she should be dreaming of or thinking of. The insolent pull I harbored for her earlier came back out to play and I battled between two emotions: wanting to protecting her and wanting to scold her.

"Listen to me," I spoke. "I am a Volturi member. I am the most feared vampire in this world and I've been existing longer than you can imagine. No one would dare step in my direction unless they're stupid enough to think they have a chance. I will not die unless it is to save my sister. I was assigned to guard you because I am the most responsible and well trained. I will not allow anyone to get within a reasonable distance of me or of you, so don't worry yourself, sweetheart. Is that clear?"

Her heart was palpitating at my proximity and I smiled for it. I could see every facet of her face clearly. Her green eyes with a ring of gold, her newly cut hair, her pores, her lips, which were just so close that it caused me to wonder what they would feel like if I just...

"Yes," she answered. The sound of her heart. Oh, the sound of her heart.

"My presence does appeal to you, doesn't it, human?" I smiled. As her hand pushed mine away, I felt those damn tingles again. It disappeared just as quickly as it came, but it felt so strange.

"Good night, Alec," she answered to me, and put herself back under the sheets away from me.

I had never gotten that feeling when I touched her previously. I hated it. I hated these reactions to her. I was supposed to be the one making the reactions, not receiving them.

Damn it, I needed a fuck.

 **CPOV**

When I woke up in the morning, I noticed something.

Alec hadn't thrown the mattress off the box spring like usual, and it wasn't early in the morning. I looked at the bedside clock; it was almost noon. That's when I realized he wasn't in my room. I was alone. I rubbed my eyes and sat up, remembering how I had the awful nightmare. All of the Volturi and my friends burned in a pile by Aro. I remembered how Alec strangely comforted me and I hadn't dreamed again when I went back to sleep.

I got out of bed, still in my clothes from yesterday, and went into the closet for clean ones. A knock at the door stopped me from turning on the shower. I went to the door and hesitated before opening it. My eyes moved up the big figure to meet the face of Felix. He didn't look excited as usual. He looked businesslike.

"Aro requests your presence," he said. "It's important. I'll be waiting out here for you and you have fifteen minutes."

I nodded, knowing that whatever Aro wanted to speak to me about was probably about the devastating news of my fake death. My heart would forever be sore of that detail. The image of my distraught brother put a pang in my chest and the threat of tears to my eyes.

"Okay," I replied calmly and half bowed my head to him before closing the door and going back into the bathroom. I turned the shower on and undressed myself, trying to resist the urge to cry. I wanted to. I wanted to full on cry, but that would only make it worse for me. I stepped in the shower and grabbed the big bottle of expensive looking shampoo that Heidi put in here. The only thing that wasn't expensive in here was the toothpaste.

I wanted to sing my feelings to serve as my cry instead, but Felix was outside my door and I didn't want to lure him in because he would surely hear. I sang in my head instead a song that was therapy to me. The Eagles were my therapy.

 _Same dances in the same old shoes_

 _Some habits that you just can't lose_

 _There's no telling what a man might use_

 _After the thrill is gone_

 _The flame rises but it soon descends_

 _Empty pages and a frozen pen_

 _You're not quite lovers and you're not quite friends_

 _After the thrill is gone, oh_

 _After the thrill is gone_

 _What can you do when your dreams come true_

 _And it's not quite like you planned?_

 _What have you done to be losing the one?_

 _You held it so tight in your hand, well_

 _Time passes and you must move on_

 _Half the distance takes you twice as long_

 _So you keep on singing for the sake of the song_

 _After the thrill is gone_

I imagined the solo that served as the bridge and I found myself humming because I liked Don Henley so much.

 _You're afraid you might fall out of fashion_

 _And you're feeling cold and small_

 _Any kind of love without passion_

 _Oh, ain't no kind of lovin' at all, well_

 _Same dances in the same old shoes_

 _You get too careful with the steps you choose_

 _You don't care about winning, but you don't wanna lose_

 _After the thrill is gone_

 _After the thrill is gone_

 _After the thrill is gone, oh_

 _After the thrill is gone_

The urge to sing was strong, but I pushed it back and grabbed the conditioner. I didn't know when I would be able to sing without Alec being around, and I regretted not taking Felix's offer of karaoke a few days ago when he had been absent. So many things were happening and I didn't know what to make of them. Alec's behavior was see-sawing, Aro was faking my death, I had a nightmare of becoming something that I detested, I saw my brother for the last time, and I still hadn't seen David. My world wasn't spiraling out of control anymore.

My world was now destroyed by the flames of fate.

I finished the rest of my shower and tried to be optimistic. I wasn't alone because I had David and apparently, forever. I would find a way around this somehow. David was a vampire now, so surely he could let us escape? Vampires are impossibly fast, so we could surely run away or plan something. I kept it to myself for fear that Aro would get a hold of David's hand.

I toweled myself off and wrapped my hair in the towel while getting dressed quickly. I grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste and brushed my teeth as thoroughly and quickly as I could, too. I rinsed my mouth out and took my hair out of the towel and fixed it. I hung the towel up on the rack so it could dry and left the bathroom, turning the light off and went back to the door to meet Felix. When I opened it, his back was turned to me. He turned around and looked at me.

"Ready now?" he asked formally. I closed the door behind me and nodded.

"Yes."

"Follow me, then." He started toward the stairs. I followed behind him, keeping calm about what Aro wanted. I would soon have to start showing that I was growing accustomed to this place. I would soon have to hide my anger and grief and replace it with artificial happiness.

"I heard about Aro's decision to fake your death," Felix spoke, bringing me to his attention. "I'm sorry. For you and your brother."

His words surprised me for a minute and I looked at him. His face was smooth and I couldn't read anything from it. I moved my eyes to the floor.

"Thank you," I said as we went down the long staircase.

"Nice song choice in the shower by the way," he commented. "I quite like that band."

"Thanks," I mumbled. We didn't talk for the rest of the way and I glanced at Felix again. His face was the same, but I could see his jaw moving. He looked like he was thinking hard about something. I decided not to ask and he opened the big doors to the throne room where not only Aro waited, but Alec and Jane as well. I landed my eyes on Jane and she wrinkled her nose at me and narrowed her eyes. I was sure that she was trying to use her gift on me. I all but glanced at Alec, his face blank as ever.

"Ah, our dear Cheyenne has arrived," Aro chirped, his arms extended. "Thank you, Felix."

Felix bowed and took his place by Demetri, who was standing on Marcus's side of the room. There was also a blonde woman, her hair curled, dressed in a nice black dress with a cape over it. She was staring at me with a superior look and a smile was on her red painted lips.

"How are you, my dear? I do hope you slept well through the night," Aro crooned. I looked at him.

"I did," I said. "Thank you."

"Ah yes," he said, motioning to the blonde woman. "I do believe you have not met our other member. This is our dearest Chelsea, and this is our soon to be member, Cheyenne."

Chelsea's smile grew into a grin and she stepped down from the steps and was in my face in half a second. The air she brought with her held the smell of some expensive perfume; it was definitely girly, but not floral. I couldn't base it off anything.

"So wonderful to meet you," she said, the grin still in place. She shook my hand daintily in her ice cold one and then dropped it. Her grin seemed more dangerous than anything on her perfect porcelain face. She was flawless just like the rest of the vampires here, but she held something deadly that made my butt tingle.

"Likewise," I said calmly, and she returned to her place in vampire speed. I returned my eyes to Aro, who looked delighted now.

"My dear, I'm sure you're wondering what I have called you for," he said, looking like he could barely contain his excitement. "You see, we are to have a ball! All for your and David's arrival. It will be quite lovely. But. It would be even more lovely if you, my dear, were to sing for our guests." He studied my face and I couldn't believe what I was hearing. He was asking me to sing again. I felt relieved, excited, and horrified all at the same time. He would be putting me on display for all to see like an exhibit, but I was feeling a rush of happiness go through me. I heard his high pitched laughter echo the room then.

"I shall assume you will accept," he said. I gave a small smile to add to my facade.

"I do," I said, bowing my head once. "Thank you for allowing me the opportunity."

"As you wish, my dear," he said, his hands folded. "I am happy to see you brighten up after such a dreary day. But, my dear, may I ask...how old you are?"

I paused before answering.

"Nineteen," I said seriously. "I turned nineteen on the sixth."

"Hmm," he hummed. "Why, Alec, that is only a year older than your physical age." He turned to Alec. I was confused. What did my age have to do with his? Aro looked at me again, a deceiving smile on his face.

"How marvelous," he purred. "You speak as if you are as old as we are. It's simply astounding. Where did you learn such vocabulary, my child?"

Hiding my confusion, I answered him warily.

"My father."

"Ah, yes! He is a smart man, I assume," he questioned. I swallowed, then. I wasn't sure if he was using it to get to me. I'd never told him about my dad or my past.

"Was," I said curtly, my smile long gone. His smile faltered barely.

"Oh, my dear," he said sadly, opening his hands as if to embrace me. "My condolences to you and yours. I do believe I have the song to mend your weary heart. Felix."

He flashed to the door and opened it without effort. I looked back and Gianna walked in with something on a silver platter. Her jade green dress matched her eyes and she looked like she was trying to walk with purpose. She stopped beside me and bowed to Aro. He took a white sheet of paper off the platter slowly and looked her over.

"That will be all, Gianna," he said authoritatively. She bowed again and I felt her look at me as she turned to leave. I heard her heels click against the floor as she left. Aro handed me the piece of paper, which I realized was sheet music. In bold across the top, a title was printed.

 **I CAN'T MAKE YOU LOVE ME**

 **by Bonnie Raitt**

My dad used to listen to that song. He was the reason I knew it. I took the paper from him and scanned over the piano notes. I already knew it on piano, but I would practice it anyway.

"I am sure you are familiar with this song? Do you have an expanded range of musical tastes, dear?" he asked expectantly. I looked in his milky red eyes, which were full of mischief. He was enjoying this.

"Yes, I know it," I said simply. "I can perform this."

His face lit up again and he clapped his hands together.

"Marvelous! You will have one week to prepare for your performance. And ah, yes! Our dear Alec will be escorting you to the ball." He motioned his hand to Alec and my heart skipped. I'd never done anything of the sort, but I used to watch all the homecoming princess nominees walk with football players when I was in high school. It seemed slightly flattering to think about, but it wasn't for me. I didn't look at Alec; instead I stayed calm. Aro looked at me expectantly. "Do you accept this, my dear?"

"Yes."

He smiled. "Lovely. That will be all, my dear. You must start practicing soon. We've prepared a soundproof room for you so you will not lure any of my members with your extraordinary sound. Felix." He looked to Felix and he nodded, coming to my side. "Felix will take you to the room so you may begin your practicing. I do thank you for accepting, my dear. You will be quite the eye catcher."

"I'll say," Demetri mumbled with sultriness. I looked at him and he had a lustful smile. He pursed his lips in a kiss at me and I didn't know if it was a joke, but knowing Demetri, it probably was.

I simply bowed my head again and glanced at Jane. Her face was smooth like Alec's, but she glared when I looked at her. She disliked this as much as I did and I didn't blame her. Alec was her brother, and protective of him from what I could see. I turned and went with Felix out of the huge doors, and when they shut, he burst out in laughter.

"Oh, man! Demetri!" he howled, clutching his stomach. I raised an eyebrow at him. "Whoo, that was good! Did you see that, little woman?" He nudged my arm, adding the nickname he came up with for me.

"Yes," I said quietly. "I saw."

"Aw, he was just joking," he said. "But man, you gotta admit it was funny!"

"Maybe," I said. I was too busy thinking about the song and why Aro would pick a song like this. It was a love song, and quite a slow, romantic one. I never sang love songs because I was uncomfortable singing the lyrics. I knew love songs, but never performed them. Not one like this, anyway. Bonnie Raitt was classic and soulful; I was just...passionate about music.

"So you like good 'ol Bonnie, huh?" He asked. "She's pretty good; prefer Carrie Underwood, but y'know. That offer still stands for karaoke, by the way."

"I might take you up on it," I said, giving him a small smile. He grinned at me and crushed me in a hug with his huge arms. I couldn't breathe and it felt like all the air escaped me. "Felix."

"I knew we'd be best buddies," he said, releasing me. "We're gonna be one hell of a team."

I tried to get some air back into me while questioning his last statement.

"Team?" I asked, following him down a flight of stairs. He turned more serious then.

"Yes," he answered. "There's something I need to show you."

When we got to the bottom, the hall connecting it was lit by torches on the wall. He went to the third door on the right and placed his hand on the metal doorknob and looked at me.

"You see, today you won't be practicing music," he said, swinging the door open. I looked inside the room with long fluorescent lights on the ceiling, mats on the floor, a punching bag, and daggers on the wall. Why would vampires need weapons if they were strong and couldn't possibly be hurt by them? "You'll be practicing combat."

I looked at him confusedly. Did Aro know about this? What did I need to fight for?

"Aro wants to test your strength, and he assigned me for it. I train all the vampires to fight when they join the Guard. Even though you're not a member yet, he wants to see how you'll improve when you're a vampire. He wants you to know combat and not rely on your gift if we ever are disabled," he said, answering my question. "Don't worry, we'll sing another time."

I'd taken a judo class back home and I kept my resistance up by working out, but I hadn't been able to work out since I got here. I took it as an advantage and decided to accept, though I still dreaded the thought of being a vampire. I didn't know what I would be like and it scared me. Would I lose myself? Would I still be me? I thought of David then and wondered if he was still the same.

"All right," I gave in. "Let's start then."

"Very well," he said, going into the room and I followed him.

I had a feeling this was all going to hurt.

 **Okay, here's chapter 13! I know I promised you guys would see David, but I got an idea for more surprises and I wanted to plant it. David will be appearing next chapter, I promise! And mayyybbbeee you'll finally see what Cheyenne's dedication song is to her dad. Oooh! Anyway, please review and tell me how you like it! And please let me know how my APOV's are doing because I'm very limited when it comes to Alec. If you review, Felix will bake you cookies!**


	14. Safe and Sound

**CPOV**

"Block!" Felix commanded, swinging at me again. He wasn't using full strength at all; in fact, I'm sure he was using only a minuscule bit of his strength just to match a human's strength. We'd been practicing for an hour and everything was hurting. And sweating. He taught me punches, kicks, rolls, blocks, throws, and even flips. He supported me fully when teaching me the flips, but he said they come in handy. My abdomen was burning the most and it felt like I might throw up the catfish fillets I had before we started. Felix apologized for "forgetting to feed me" and demanded that Ray make something high in protein for me.

 _"Ray," Felix commanded. "I need you to cook something with protein. A lot of protein and in ten minutes."_

 _I sat down at the island as Ray turned from the stove._

 _"Yes, sir," he replied. "What's up, Cheyenne?" He turned back to the stove and whipped out a skillet._

 _"Nothing much. Just this. What are you making?" I asked casually._

 _"Best catfish you'll ever have," he said, going to the fridge. I looked to Felix, who looked annoyed with Ray, but approving of his choice of food._

 _"I will come back when the food has been eaten. The smell is nasty," he said, wrinkling his nose. "Ten minutes, Ray." He left the kitchen then, leaving us alone._

 _"No worries, sir," he called to him, putting a whole catfish on the counter. It wasn't even gutted, cleaned or picked. It looked like a fresh caught fish. "So, what's he want the protein for?"_

 _"I'm being trained," I said. He took out a big knife and cut off the head first before quickly slicing the skin off. I was impressed by his knife skills and wondered just how long he went to culinary school._

 _"Like, fighting?" he asked confusedly, moving the skins to the side and working on gutting it. "That seems strange."_

 _"I don't know," I said quietly. "I have to do what they say."_

 _"Why would they teach you fight when you're still human? Doesn't make sense to-" he looked at me then in mid-slice. "Are they turning you into one of them?"_

 _"I don't have a say in it," I said, looking at my nails on my folded hands. "David is a vampire. So I have to be one, too."_

 _"That's just God damn ridiculous," he almost shouted. "What the hell? I thought you were a worker like the secretary woman. Gianna." He went back to gutting the fish and cleaning it out._

 _"He wants me to join them. The Volturi," I said flatly. It sent chills down my spine to think about it. I couldn't think of punishing other vampires and killing them. It wasn't in me. I didn't know how far I could go with pretending to like Aro._

 _"I suspected that," he said strangely. "I'm hearing all this talk about a song performance from you. Aro wants everyone to be impressed with you." He scooped everything out of the fish and put it to the side._

 _"I know," I mumbled, thinking about it. I would be in front of a crowd like a newly created robot for everyone to see. I was Aro's toy._

 _"What about you?" I asked. "Are you going to be a vampire, too?"_

 _He laughed out loud and shook his head, taking on a different demeanor._

 _"I don't want to," he said. "They either kill me or I kill me. But I keep myself alive because of my girlfriend Sophie. I would like to marry her someday." He sounded hopeful, like he was unsure if it would really happen._

 _"Why don't you?" I asked, looking at him. "You don't live here like I do."_

 _He pressed his lips into a line, making his long mustache meet the beard that covered his face._

 _"It's not that easy," he said, turning to turn the stove on. He drizzled olive oil into it, turned back, grabbed the fillets and proceeded to season them. "You've been here long enough to know that once you know about vampires, you're trapped for life. I may live outside this castle, but I don't exactly have freedom either."_

 _"You want to go back to the States," I stated. He put the catfish into a bowl of what looked like a batter and moved them into the sizzling skillet._

 _"I didn't know what I was getting myself into until I heard people screaming one night," he said over the crackling and sizzling. "If I hadn't passed by that room, I wouldn't be here. I wasn't going to work here forever. Italy's nice, but my parents and stuff are back home. And Sophie doesn't even know." He turned back and grabbed a bundle of asparagus. I felt sorrow for him because his story seemed like mine. If David hadn't gone on the tour, if I hadn't followed him...if we hadn't done those things, we wouldn't be here. If we had never set foot in Volterra, we would all be together._

 _"My brother doesn't know," I said quietly. "He thinks I'm dead."_

 _He stopped cutting and I looked at him. His brown eyes shone with sadness and I knew we weren't just two people who stumbled here on accident._

 _We were slaves._

"Now throw," he said. I grabbed his arm and turned forward, using the throwing motion he taught me, and he rolled by himself. He looked at me amusedly.

"Good," he said. "You're a quick learner. Do you have experience or what?" He stood up in vampire speed, fixing imaginary wrinkles in his suit. I attempted to catch my breath and sank to my knees.

"All right, all right, fine, no more today," he said, crossing the room. "But you still gotta sing karaoke with us." He whooshed back over to me, towel in hand. I took it and wiped the sweat off of my face. I felt demolished and I knew I wouldn't be able to move the next day. He made me put all my strength into the punches and kicks and throws. All my muscles were just screaming in protest and crying for a break.

"I will sing karaoke with you," I drew out. "But I have to practice the song Aro gave me first." Felix hauled me up like I was a feather and was gone in a second, then right in front of me again, the sheet music in hand. He slung his huge arm around me while we retreated out of the room.

"Right," he said seriously. "Aro will be checking on you, believe it or not. He'll be down in an hour, if my calculations are correct. You must hurry if you don't want to get in trouble."

He swooped me up and almost literally disappeared to take me back to my room.

Xxx

When I stepped into the soundproof room that was just a door down from the training room, I noticed the big sleek piano first on the smooth linoleum floor. It looked brand new as if it was never touched. The long stool that was placed in front of it looked new as well with its smooth, untouched fake leather on four legs. The room was huge for it being just for one person. A crystal chandelier hung from the extremely high ceiling and lit up the room with a glittering radiance.

"I'll be back soon," Felix said in all seriousness. "And...sorry I made you throw up." He shut the door then, leaving me alone. It wasn't until I had gotten back to my room that I threw up my lunch. I went over to the bench and sat myself on it and put the sheet music on the gold bar that served as a stand on the piano above the keys. It had been a while since I played, but I felt the buzzing and the urging to play to get all of my emotions out. One of the things I needed most was right in front of me and I wanted nothing more than to belt out every lyric that syncopated my feelings. There was one song though, that I always played when I needed it most. My dad's song. His dedication. It always provided a comfort and a strength that I long needed. I took the opportunity and played the beginning notes, determined to get out any anger and sadness I had long bottled away and replaced with a false rock solid shell. As I played the beginning, I thought about my dad and how much I needed him. How much I missed him. How much I missed my brother. How heartbreaking it was to me that he thought I was dead when I was clearly alive. How I was forever trapped in this castle with immortals and would never be released. How I would someday have to face the fact that my brother and mother would die and I would still be alive. How I would never reunite with my dad someday wherever you go. How I would have to be with Alec forever while he tolerated me. How I would live with the fact that the only person I would have is David. How I even got here. I played my dad's song and basked myself in the music that was my rock.

 _Desperado_

 _Why don't you come to your senses?_

 _You've been out riding fences for so long now_

 _Oh, you're a hard one_

 _But I know that you got your reasons_

 _These things that are pleasing you_

 _Will hurt you somehow_

 _Don't you draw the queen of diamonds, boy_

 _She'll beat you if she's able_

 _You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet_

 _Now it seems to me some fine things have been laid upon your table_

 _But you only want the ones that you can't get_

 _Desperado_

 _Oh, you ain't getting no younger_

 _Your pain and your hunger_

 _They're driving you home_

 _And freedom, oh freedom_

 _Well, that's just some people talking_

 _Your prison is walking through this world all alone_

I heard another voice, then. A voice that harmonized with mine. A voice that I recognized so clearly, that I thought I would never hear it again. I turned my head to the voice and my eyes found him for the first time in what felt like forever. There stood my best friend in his all his vampire glory. But he didn't look the same.

David looked more defined than he did as a human. His tan was replaced with ivory skin and his face was decorated with strong lines. His lips were still thin, but definitely fuller than before, and they were no longer pink, but pale pink. the light brown eyes I grew up knowing were replaced with crimson. His hair was no longer light brown, but a dark gold and it was straighter than usual and shone like everyone else's. The light reflected hints of brown and gold in his hair. His body was built with more muscle and he was clearly taller.

As my old emotions left, new ones replaced them. Relief. Happiness. Horror. Sadness. His lips continued to copy the same lyrics as mine as he came closer. His voice was more melodic and smoother than before. He sounded beautiful compared to me. Our voices together sounded more balanced than ever. I turned my head back to the piano and continued to finish the song with him, the emotions crashing around me.

 _Don't your feet get cold in the winter time?_

 _The sky won't snow and the sun won't shine_

 _It's hard to tell the night time from the day_

 _You're losing all your highs and lows_

 _Ain't it funny how the feeling goes away?_

 _Desperado_

 _Why don't you come to your senses?_

 _Come down from your fence and_

 _Open the gate_

 _It may be raining_

 _But there's a rainbow above you_

 _You better let somebody love you_

 _You better let somebody love you_

 _Before it's too late_

I played the last notes and the chill that came with David matched the one from everyone else. I looked up at him and my resolve broke. I was crushed in one of his hugs, but it was even stronger. I couldn't breathe very well, but it was the least of my worries. His whole body was no longer warm; it was replaced with a cursed chill and rock hard exterior. I couldn't feel a heart beat from his chest through his shirt; I felt nothing at all. It was then that I let myself cry about everything on his stony shoulder. He was no longer human and he never would be. He was forever frozen at twenty one while I would stay nineteen. He also smelled different from everyone else. While Felix smelled like pine trees, Alec smelled like a clean boy, David smelled like honey. Melting honey, almost, and I couldn't help but think it fit him. His smell was the warmest thing about him now. It was sweet, but not sickly. It was the smell of a friend.

"Don't cry, dudette," he begged with restrain. He sounded like he wanted to cry, but it wasn't happening. His voice was almost as beautiful as Alec's. Almost. It was new to me, but it didn't make my heart skip like Alec's did. My heart was only racing with relief. Even though he was no longer human, or warm, he was still the same old David to me. "God, I missed you."

"Where have you been?" I said through my tears, although I knew clearly where he had been. I couldn't control the spew of questions in my head. "I was worried to death."

"I had to control myself. They wouldn't let me leave," he said sadly. "It wasn't safe for you. Jane's one tough bitch, though. Thank God her gift or whatever doesn't work on you." I noticed then that he was tensed and he wasn't trying hardly at all to hug me. I let go of him and my feet touched the ground; I hadn't even noticed that he lifted me. I did notice, however, that he could now smell me in a different way. He could hear my heart beat. He could smell my blood. And he could also kill me, but I knew he wouldn't. If he came down here, he must have enough control to be around me. His cold thumbs wiped away my tears and the chill still startled me.

"Did they hurt you? What did they do while I was gone? Who took care of you? Do they feed you? Oh, God, you don't wanna know how freaking disgusting food smells to me now-" he rambled, and it made me glad to see that he was still the same old David.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "I'm fine. They feed me, don't worry. Alec did."

He scanned me for proof and when his eyes froze on my arm, his face turned harder than stone and he looked like he was trying to contain himself. He brushed his hand over it. The bruises Alec left were starting to yellow, but they were still clearly there.

"What the fuck did he do to you?" he demanded. "That doesn't look like he took care of you!"

"It doesn't matter," I said over him. "He doesn't do it anymore."

I heard a growl come from his throat like Alec's did, and it sounded strange coming from him.

"You're gonna get in trouble for being in here. This room is soundproof, how did you get in here?" I asked, releasing him. It was starting to make me cold. He couldn't have heard me singing. His crimson eyes searched my face and he was still tense.

"I smelled you," he said. "I just followed it like an instinct. But once I could hear you...It's so weird being a vampire, dudette. I mean, turning into one..." He paused, shuddering, his eyes closing. I could see his dark gold lashes almost touch the hollows of his eyes. "God, it was the worst pain I ever felt. It was like being on fucking fire while being stapled and ripped apart and cut open and hit by a million trucks all at once. I couldn't even move and it wouldn't stop, it just kept getting worse. But then when you wake up...you smell everything and you hear everything and it's just so weird, but it's badass! You can even taste things in the air. I could really almost taste you. It tasted like mint, but...flowery too." He swallowed then and stepped back from me. I sat back on the bench and lowered my head. The relief was starting to wash away and dread settled in. My best friend was a vampire now. I soon would be, too. I was the last one on the list. He wasn't the same, but he was. He wasn't warm, but he was. He wasn't David, but he was. And the pain he described didn't make the process any better.

"I can hear your heart, too," he said. "It's fast and I can hear the blood moving through your veins. I hate this, but I like it, too. I never thought blood would taste so good, but it-"

"I'm sorry," I said quietly, picking up the habit of blinking away tears. "It's my fault you're like this. If I hadn't-"

"Don't you dare start," he said with a hard voice. "It is not your fault. I was a dumbass and fell for Heidi's gift trance thing. If I hadn't done that, we wouldn't be here. I'm sorry, Cheyenne. I'm sorry we got trapped in this hell hole. I completely fucked up and now we're just..." He paused, and I could tell he was trying to stop himself from doing something. He only used my name when he got really serious, and David wasn't one to be so serious all the time.

"Damned," I finished for him, looking at his perfect face. My nose tingled as my eyes filled with tears. "We're damned and Travis thinks we're dead." I tried to keep my face from crumpling, but the sorrow of it was too strong and I lowered my head as I cried for the second time.

"What?" he barely whispered, and I almost missed it. I was pulled into another hug, expecting to be crushed, but I wasn't. "What the hell happened, dudette? Tell me, because I can't cry anymore. Who in the hell told him we're dead?" He demanded.

"There was this guy," I said, trying to speak normally. "He asked for my autograph and I gave it to him. Then...Aro saw it from Alec and he decided to fake our deaths."

"God damn it," he said, following with a string of profanities. "I'm gonna _kill_ -"

I pulled myself together and wiped away my tears. David couldn't try to kill anyone, for he'd surely be killed himself. I wanted to keep him safe, even if he was immortal and I wasn't. Aro couldn't keep us apart forever, and I would see to it.

"How come you can't cry anymore?" I asked, changing the subject and pulling away from him. He shook his head and a different kind of anger got to him.

"Jane said vampires don't have any fluids in them except venom," he said ruefully. "We can't cry, we can't sweat, we can't bleed, but by all means, we can ejaculate. It doesn't make any damn sense." He scoffed at the end, and I didn't want to know how he knew that last one.

"You look different," I said, coming across a hiccup.

"I know, I'm hot," he grinned, changing demeanors immediately. "You don't have to rub it in."

I smacked his shoulder, but it didn't have any effect on him; he stayed right in place as if I never did it. It hurt my hand; it felt like trying to hit a rock and I rubbed my hand.

"And you can't beat me up anymore," he grinned before his eyes found the sheet music. "What's that for?" he asked suspiciously. "Why are you singing Bonnie Raitt? I know she's good, dudette, but she's not your style."

"He's making me sing it for the ball," I sniffed, flexing my fingers. "He wants to put a human in front of a crowd of vampires...and sing it."

And that's when I got an idea. Aro gave me the song to sing, but he wouldn't know at all that I would perform it the night of. This room was soundproof. He couldn't hear me singing unless he opened the door. Aro wanted me to perform in front of a crowd, but would they know what I was going to do? He wanted to show me off like a trophy. I had my best friend in front of me, and I had a piano. And two great minds. The perfect replacement to this romantic ballad popped into my head then. David looked baffled and angry, but I stopped him when I spoke.

"David," I said slowly. "How rebellious are you feeling right now?"

His anger melted away and it turned into a happy grin. His teeth were straighter and whiter than ever; it was almost blinding.

"Aw, fuck yeah," he said. "Watcha got?"

"We can practice this song," I said. "But we won't do it."

"So you want us to just blow it off?" he asked excitedly.

"Not blow it off," I said. "Aro wants to...show me off, so to speak. He wants everyone to see my gift, but Felix said Aro will be checking up on me. Not watching me. So if Aro wants to show me off and you want to kill him, so to speak...then we should kill with kindness."

"Where is this going?" he asked, and I could tell he was excited. I took a deep breath and thought about how this would play out. I knew Aro would be angry, but at the moment, I was fueled by vengeance and happiness from being reunited with my best friend.

"If I'm going to sing something for the ball," I said. "It should be a reflection of us. How we feel about this. We can't fight Aro...but we can fight him like this. With our gifts."

His smile grew bigger and we high fived, his cold marble hand meeting my warm one.

"Then let's rock this bitch, dudette," he said, cheesily quoting Mean Girls. I laughed for the first time in a week and all the sadness and crushing grief I held melted away for that moment.

"Can you watch the door while I practice it?" I asked. "When you hear someone coming, you can give me a signal and I'll sing the song Aro gave me to make it seem like I'm practicing the right one. But you should stand outside the door. You don't want to...hear my gift."

"Good idea," he said, standing up straight. "By the way, I don't know how I ate Doritos my whole life. I smelled them and tried to eat them one day...worst fucking thing ever. Vampires can't even digest things! Jane called me an idiot all the time for doing it."

I got sad for a moment before I answered him. His love for Doritos was part of what made him David, but everything else about him was the same and I was thankful, though I didn't like how Jane was hurting him with her gift.

"You're still David," I said truthfully. "To me. We're still best friends. You're still my brother's best friend. You're still the bass player of our group. You're still the person who pushed Matt Gragg off the monkey bars when I was in third grade and got in trouble for it. You're still the person who stayed with his mom when your dad left. And if you're still all of those things, then you're still the same David who loves Doritos."

His eyes were glossed over, but no tears came out, and I knew that if he could cry, then he would be right now. Demetri may have made him immortal and Aro may have separated us both from my brother, but he couldn't break us. He didn't know that he put two weapons together for mass destruction.

"You kick ass and I'll watch the door," he said, his smile hinting on a grin, but I knew the dad statement got to him. He turned and was at the door in a flash. I turned to the piano and began playing the indirect attack on Aro that we planned.

 **And there you have it, folks! Your reunion and your mystery song! It was so beautiful! *cries* who missed David? I DID! What do you think of the song? What do you think of the new David? And what the heck is that song they're gonna sing? It shall be revealed later! By the way, if you didn't know the song, it was Desperado by none other than The Eagles. If you want to see the version she sang (and my favorite version), then you can copy this into your browser:** video/xret4_eagles-desperado_music **(the video is from Daily Motion. Just search, "Eagles Desperado" on Google and you'll see it pop up on Daily Motion. They don't have it on YouTube, sadly)**

 **I hope you liked this chapter, and a review would be lovely! If you do, David will sing for you and maybe give you free Doritos lol.**


	15. AN: David and Danny

**Dear readers,**

 **I know you hate these, but it's important. I've put up photos of Danny (because I forgot to) on my profile and I'm going to change the picture of David. You see, David and Danny's characters are mixes of two actors each because I can't really describe to you what they look like, so I'm using actors who are as close as possible to them. So, I've posted Lucas Till and Brenton Thwaites for David, and Kenton Duty and Alex Pettyfer for Danny. I used Kenton because he's got the blonde hair and blue eyes and eye shape (and hairstyle), but Alex looks more Danny's age because he has the strong jaw and face shape; Kenton is too young. And as for David, Brenton has the smile, eye color, face shape, and skin color, but Lucas has the hair color and style I'm looking for. So I hope that helps annnnd please keep a lookout for my next chapter!**

 **IsaydenGirl16**


	16. Haunted

**CPOV**

I was taking a break from practicing both songs and David and I were having way too much fun for being in a castle. Aro had come by twenty minutes ago to see my progress and was delighted with it, although he advised me to sit up straighter when I was to perform it. David had given me the signal and hid in another room until Aro left. I didn't know if David was supposed to be somewhere else or with Jane, but no one had come looking for him.

 _"I thought Jane was helping you with your...thirst," I said once Aro was gone and he came out of his hiding place. I didn't know if he'd had any blood before he came down here._

 _"Eh, she's out hunting with her brother," he replied, rolling his eyes and shaking his hands dramatically. "Which I wouldn't mind doing right now, but I'm good. Plus, she didn't tell me where to stay, so I thought, 'Why not use my freedom?' " He shrugged._

 _"You need to go back," I advised. "Jane could find out. Her gift still works on you and you can smell me right now. You could attack me."_

 _"Don't worry, dudette," he assured, waving it off. "I've got it under control. You do smell good...really. Like, I didn't even know someone could smell so good, but Jane is a good teacher. I just have to hold my breath and I'm good." He took air in through his mouth and shut it quickly._

 _"But you don't have a heartbeat," I said confusedly._

 _"Yeah, but not breathing still sucks," he said, sounding normal. "Jane said when you're around a human, hold your breath. I can't smell anything that way. It's uncomfortable, but it helps."_

David had suggested we entertain ourselves by singing "vampire songs" in an attempt to get a laugh out of me then.

"What about that song from the end credits of Vampires Suck?" he asked. "Cheesy title, cheesy lyrics. Cheese is nasty, by the way." He wrinkled his nose and I raised an eyebrow while trying to think of a song that could be classified as a "vampire song".

"Sam Tsui?" I asked, putting my hands on the keys. "He did a mash up, remember? You love mash ups."

"I can't really remember, dudette," he said ruefully. "My old memories are kind of...fuzzy now. It's weird. I know what you're talking about..."

I looked at him, my fingers frozen in place on the keys. Vampires couldn't remember human memories? Was it completely wiped away during the transformation? I didn't want to trouble him by asking what he did and didn't remember.

"It's okay," I said quietly. He looked like he was thinking back and trying to scrape up whatever his immortality gave him of his old self. "I'm just glad you remember me and Travis. I think that's all that matters."

"I remember you guys, of course," he said. "Just...before I became this...it's fuzzy sometimes. I remember seeing Aro's ugly ass face after I got bit by Demetri and then nothing. I couldn't see and everything burned." His eyes were glazed over with the memory and I touched his cold shoulder while suppressing a laugh at his Aro comment.

"You're not dead and that's what matters," I said calmly.

"I don't have a fucking heart beat anymore," he ground out. "I'm pretty much dead."

"If you were dead, you wouldn't be talking to me right now," I reasoned. "Let's just focus on doing this, okay? Maybe once I'm a vampire too...we'll escape. We'll escape and we'll go find Travis. We will make some plan."

He looked at me, his marble face softening. It was strange to see red eyes instead of brown and pale skin instead of his tan, but looks didn't matter on him. On anybody.

"How are we gonna escape?" he asked in a little voice, his eyes widening like a little kid. I didn't have a plan, but I knew I would make one after I was immortal. Aro couldn't keep every nook and cranny of the castle watched.

"I don't know," I said quietly. "We just have to play it one step at a time."

It was a moment before he nodded and he returned to his funny old self. Once my break was over, I practiced both songs again while he stood outside the door, starting with Aro's choice again. It felt strange for me to sing such romantic lyrics, but I just imagined singing it in the car when my dad used to put the Bonnie Raitt CD in and it made a little difference.

 _Turn down the lights_

 _Turn down the bed_

 _Turn down these voices inside my head_

 _Lay down with me_

 _Tell me no lies_

 _Just hold me close_

 _Don't patronize_

 _Don't patronize me_

 _'Cause I can't make you love me if you don't_

 _You can't make your heart feel_

 _Something it won't_

 _Here in the dark_

 _In these final hours_

 _I will lay down my heart_

 _And I'll feel the power_

 _But you won't_

 _No, you won't_

 _'Cause I can't make you love me_

 _If you don't_

 _I'll close my eyes,_

 _Then I won't see_

 _The love you don't feel_

 _When you're holding me_

 _Morning will come,_

 _And I'll do what's right_

 _Just give me till then_

 _To give up this fight_

 _And I will give up this fight_

 _'Cause I can't make you love me if you don't_

 _You can't make your heart feel something it won't_

 _Here in the dark_

 _In these final hours_

 _I will lay down my heart_

 _And I'll feel the power_

 _But you won't_

 _No, you won't_

 _'Cause I can't make you love me if you don't_

I read the piano music and played the last ten measures of instrumental. I liked the song, but I never sang deep songs like this one because it always made me uncomfortable to sing lyrics that were sensual. I wondered then why Aro picked a romantic song for me to play at the ball. Everyone would for sure be too distracted by my "gift" to be focusing on it, so what was this for? Alec hated my singing, but Demetri and Felix wanted to sing karaoke. I was mostly uncomfortable with singing this because Alec hated it, but it was at Aro's command for me to perform it.

 _"Did you miss the part when Aro said you were Alec's singer?"_

Felix's question rang in my head from our very first conversation and I couldn't help but think there was something more to it. There was something on the other side of the question and I didn't know what it was. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to know.

Xxx

I didn't know how many hours passed before I fell asleep at the piano. Felix's training had started to take its toll on me and I couldn't keep my eyes open. I told myself it would only be for five minutes, but my mind and body were too deep in unconsciousness to awaken after I closed my eyes.

 **APOV**

I finished my last human and disposed of his body properly before returning to the castle with my beloved sister. The human was in the care of Felix while Aro spoke with me the plans of tomorrow and while we hunted for some time together. I was none too happy to be escorting the human to the ball or about my sister being escorted by the human's ignorant friend, but the worst part was Aro's request for her to sing during it. I knew that Aro himself was trying to mend us together as mates, and as much as I still hate her, some wretched part of me pulls at the opposite. Since the previous night, I couldn't help but wonder what she dreamed of. I wanted to watch her sleep again, but the prouder side of me wanted her to have nightmares so she could be beyond scared straight. I still held her cellular device in my coat and Aro has not been informed. I would use it for her personal punishment.

"This was exactly what I needed, wouldn't you agree, brother?" Jane asked, in step beside me.

"Indeed, sister," I agreed. "A dying human is the only cure for staying around idiots."

She laughed and it was something I loved to hear. Jane did not laugh on account of anyone except myself. I was the only one who could make her laugh. Aro could make her smile, but not laugh.

"The human is disappointing to me," she said blandly. "She treats Aro with such disrespect and I want to end her for doing so. I don't know how Aro is allowing it."

"Jane, let's not speak of the human," I reasoned, putting my arm around her shoulders. It was beginning to be difficult to keep calling her that. I was beginning to want to call her by her name.

"I fear something though, dear brother," she spoke with uncertainty that was only shown for me. She would never let anyone else see her like this. Vulnerable. I looked down at my younger sister, my twin. Jane never feared anything, and this was the first time I heard her voice those words since we were human.

"What is it, Jane?" I stopped, lifting her chin. "What are you fearing? I will demolish whatever it is."

She stared into my identical crimson eyes and I saw her; the old Jane. The Jane that was tied to the stake while the flames burned the edges of her blue dress.

"I fear I may have found a singer of my own."

If my heart were beating, it would have stopped. Metaphorically, of course. I briefly shut my eyes and swallowed the venom that pooled in my mouth at her sentence. Whatever human had caught the attention of my sister would not live to see their next day. Or possibly their next breath.

"Tell me, sister. Who is it?"

Xxx

I had told Jane to wait for me in my room because the human's-

 _Cheyenne's_ , the voice chided again.

Because _Cheyenne's_ scent had washed through my nose and I could not control the urge to see her. It was sickening. I made a pathetic excuse that I was to see Aro and I told her we would finish our conversation once I returned. All I really wanted was to see that the hu-Cheyenne was all right. I smelled another scent mixing with hers that I didn't quite recognize and immediately my instincts triggered in my body. I whipped down the hall, following the scents and slowed my pace when my eyes caught sight of the infamous pair themselves a handful of feet away. The other human- whom I now had to label as newborn- held a sleeping Cheyenne in his arms. My instincts protested this and I resisted the urge to attack as I raked my eyes over the insolent newborn. My body was poised straight as I approached him further.

 _He could hurt her._

His face formed a glare and his arms protectively tightened around her as a growl came forth from his bared teeth. My arms ached to snatch her from her friend's arms, which could easily kill her with one twitch of his muscle. I raised an eyebrow at him, refusing the thought; he must have forgotten about my gift.

"And what is a newborn doing with a human?" I inquired. Cheyenne's heartbeat was slow and gentle, informing me that she indeed was deeply asleep. Her scent flowed in my vicinity and though I had just fed, it always left a little burn in my throat. "You're much too close to be with a human."

"Putting her to bed, what's it look like?" The newborn hissed. "And I'm holding my breath, dumbass. I'm not entirely brainless." The way he spoke was certainly unacceptable and it was beginning to awaken a cloud of paralyzing mist in my palms.

"Your choice of words is consequential," I warned calmly, lifting my chin. "Your attitude is disgraceful as well. I believe you should choose your words carefully...David."

"I'm not the one with an attitude problem," he spat. "At least I don't lose my temper. I saw the bruises on her arms, and I swear to God, if you touch her like that again..." A growl followed after and I lifted a brow at the new immortal.

"Your threats are dull, newborn," I said, opening my palms. "You have a choice. You hand Cheyenne to me and I will allow you to leave with your nerves fully intact. Or you do not get my mercy and I report you to Aro."

"Don't say her name," he spat again, a growl following. "I don't like you. I don't like you around her or the way you treat her. If I find one more fucking bruise on her, I will..." He took a step toward me and I let my mist waft to him, but as soon as Jane's lavender mixed with the human's rose, I knew I wouldn't get the chance to blind David.

"Brother, not tonight," she chided sweetly, touching my arm. "I will discipline the newborn. Surely pain is a better teacher than none." She looked in his direction, and although I knew she wanted to unleash her illusionary gift, I also know she wouldn't because a human was in his hold.

"You will place her in bed and wait for me in my room, David," she ordered. "I'm not happy with your actions toward my brother."

His face cowered under my sister's command, which made me smile and did as he was told. I watched him place his friend in her bed and I couldn't help but notice how much gentler he was than I with her. He laid her down as if she was wet paper itself about to break apart from the underlying weight of water. He looked as if he wanted to keep that paper together. He moved the large comforter over her body and watched her face gravely, which angered me. I not often liked other men looking at her when we were in town, and I did not like it now. I did, however, hate the fact that I hated it.

I hated her friend even more when I saw him place a kiss on her hair. His lips had brushed across my human's head. Across my mate's skin. The very skin that I wanted to touch and discover with every moment I was looking at it. It was so subtle and gentle that it angered me. He held intimate feelings for her that she did not return, and even as a newborn, he still felt the same. He was not even supposed to be outside of his kept quarters and I wondered if Jane had known this.

"Now, newborn," my sister snapped. "I don't have the patience for your endearments."

"Sleep tight, dudette," he whispered to her, though it was so low only an immortal was capable of hearing it. The pet name he held for her was ludicrous and I did not know how she accepted to be called such a name. The newborn's intelligence was as low as Felix's childish behavior and Cheyenne accepted him as one of her own blood, which I did not understand. I could not stand to be around Felix most of the time because he acted as such, but the human strove to be in the presence of her friend whom she has possibly only known for a small fraction of the time that Jane and I have been immortal.

He approached my sister, holding a sad, grave look. Jane looked to me and I nodded to her. We would finish this conversation another time. I was to watch the human while she slept and while her friend was tortured by my loving sister. This made me smile as I entered the human's room and quietly shut the door behind me. I did not spare the newborn one more glance; my focus had switched to Cheyenne's heartbeat. The closer I got to her, the more my throat burned with the desire to take just one little drop of her blood.

My curiosity peaked, I removed the black glove from my hand and reached toward her skin. The skin where her blood flowed and sang to me with a haunting tune, almost as if it was laughing at me. As soon as my fingertips touched the skin of her cheekbone, the tingle was back. The burn of ice against fire melded and ignited the strange spark I felt from the first time I ever laid my finger on her. It never wavered and it angered me for me to feel such things from a human. From my own enemy species. From my damn food source. My body betrayed me by reacting to every move she made and every word she spoke and every breath she took. She was an addiction I needed to stop, but I could not. Every part of me called to her as her blood called to me.

And I was haunted by it.

 _You're falling in love; you're just denying it._

 **Phew! Got that done! I hope you guys liked it and sorry I haven't updated! I'm moving back into my college on the 17th (Monday) and I've been so busy getting ready for my sophomore year. And stressed. Man, I don't wanna go back to school. -_- anyway, how did you guys like David and Alec running into each other, hmmm? That was basically the other reason why I didn't finish this in so long. I wanted to make it so perfect and so suspenseful, but I realized I'm just an epic fail and went with what I made up. Also, Cheyenne doesn't know she's Alec's mate yet, for anyone who's confused by that. There's a reason it's like that, it's just more suspenseful.**

 **So, obviously, Alec hates David and David hates Alec. But what about Jane? Who's her singer? I don't even know, actually (maybe I'm lying, maybe I'm not). But the ball scene will be coming up soon annnnnd yeah. I hope you all liked this and please review! Just an FYI, I might not update as much when August 24th rolls around because my classes start then and I'll be too busy focusing on school work. But when I don't have homework, I'll try to write! Thank you all for being so patient with me and hanging in there.**


	17. I Could Be Your Boyfriend

CPOV

Everything hurt as soon as I opened my eyes at eight o'clock, courtesy of Alec pouring the coldest of water on my face. The shock of it was almost alarming as his own skin, but the screaming and protesting of my muscles shocked me even more when I shot up and my body instantly put itself back down on the sheets. I hid a grimace as I rolled away from Alec onto my side and held my left arm. Lots of lactic acid here. It felt like my whole body had been thrown around and stretched past its limits while being hit by a truck. Everything was sore and I shut my eyes, letting out the tiniest of groans while clenching my jaw. I could keep quiet about pain, but my workouts at home had never left me this sore. My attention was off the water and I could hardly notice it was soaked into my clothes while I tried to keep still.

"Wakey, wakey, human," he crooned in a sickly sweet voice to me. "You have ten minutes until breakfast. Do not keep me waiting." I heard what sounded like a cup hit the nightstand and then the door closed seconds later. I counted to ten before slowly, slowly lifting myself out of bed and making it to the bathroom with a new pair of clothes in hand as fast as I could possibly muster. When I stood under the water, I tried to massage away the soreness while hurrying under Alec's request. It didn't help much and I wondered if I would have to train with Felix again today. I didn't know what was in store for today and the only thing I had planned was to practice my song again like I was supposed to.

I stepped out of the shower, brushed my teeth, and got dressed in a black shirt that had thin white stripes going horizontally across it. It had some sort of lace design on the back and I was surprised that it wasn't solid black, considering that the clothes in my closet were slowly becoming one color. Which was black. All of the Volturi only wore that color, save Demetri and Felix, who wore gray sometimes, and Heidi, who loved wearing red.

I quickly moved out of the bathroom, leaving my towel on its rack to dry. I took my old clothes with me and folded them before leaving them on the bed for Heidi to pick up. She always picked up my clothes and towels, though I felt as if I should do it myself. My brother and I were used to taking care of ourselves and picking up after ourselves, but this was something I would have to get used to. Maybe when I was no longer human, I would be allowed to take care of my own clothing again.

Bracing myself, I opened the door, only to be greeted by Heidi and Demetri.

"Good morning," she spoke formally as always, moving into my room. "Sleep well?"

"Yes, did you sleep well?" Demetri asked, raising an eyebrow briefly. His charming smile spread across his face. "Alec is changing. You can follow me to breakfast, love." He turned smoothly, his Volturi cape moving with him as I followed silently. I tried to keep my legs moving normally instead of like a machine that needed a good oiling. Felix's training had been intense and I could only imagine what would come next.

"I heard your friend came to visit you," Demetri piped up. "We all heard, actually. You must have rejoiced, I assume?"

"Maybe," I answered seriously, going down the stairs. It made my legs slightly wobble like a baby deer trying to walk, but I made it down.

"Alec doesn't care for him, I see," he said. "Nor does Jane. He screamed through almost the whole night. Surprising how it didn't wake you."

I turned my head to him. David had gotten caught and Jane had hurt him. And I couldn't do anything about it. She was basically his boss, but I wanted to interfere. Her gift did not work on me, but if I dared to defy her, she would probably hurt him more. I suddenly wanted to cry about it as Demetri returned my look.

"He's all right," he scoffed. "No one has ever died of Jane's gift. It's an illusion. Her gift doesn't inflict pain on you for real. You only think you are experiencing it. That is what triggers most people's fear. Funny how it doesn't work on you, love. You're quite lucky." He chucked my chin with his finger and I moved my gaze forward again. Jane's gift was only an illusion. I didn't know their past, but Felix told me Alec was the one who would rather feel no emotions while Jane liked to express hers. She had always been angry when I saw her and I could only assume that she used it to fuel her gift, logically of course. Whatever reason she had for holding the anger in, it must have something to do with her past. They were called the Witch Twins, yet they weren't from the Salem Witch Trials?

Alec and Jane were the only ones who seemed to look at humans as if they were mud on their perfect shoes. Demetri and Felix had been more accepting of me, along with Heidi (Sometimes. She was becoming excited about dressing me up for the ball). They had never told me that they were above me or that they were my bosses. Alec had been the only one who claimed it and Jane's expression always said the same thing.

"Has anyone ever commented on your eyes? They're such a rarity, you know. Never in my centuries of living have I met a green eyed woman with gold around her pupils. I guess that foreshadows your diet," he laughed at the end, and even his laugh was charismatic. Vampires had perfect everything, and I guess that included their laughs. I flipped back through what I knew about them and understood his reference.

"You would allow me to eat animals?" I asked. I never thought about when I would be a vampire very often, but I did not want to drink from humans like the Volturi did. It was inhumane (no pun intended) and the thought of it made my stomach turn. I didn't enjoy the thought of feeding on animals either, but it was a better option than killing people. Every person had lives to live, people to be with, purposes to serve, families to support. If I ever fed on a human, that would be the thoughts running through my mind.

Demetri's laughter stopped abruptly and he turned businesslike, standing straight as if he never laughed in the first place.

"Aro won't approve. You always need to be at your strongest in the Volturi," he voiced formally. "Human blood gives us more strength than that God-awful sludge that comes from animals. It smells terrible." He wrinkled his nose and I thought about the family Felix mentioned; the Cullens. If they fed on animals, did that make them different from any other vampire family? Did they behave differently? Did they slip up every once in a while and have just one human?

"I won't kill a human," I reasoned. "I can't."

He laughed again and pushed open the kitchen door.

"That's what they all say, love. That's what they all say."

XxX

When I had finished two omelets and a whole serving of fruit (I had apparently slept through dinner yesterday), Aro surprised me when he told me that Alec was taking me into town again.

"I do need some prior decorations for all of this," Aro said in his feathery English accent, motioning to the huge, seemingly infinite space of the room. There were balloons, tables, fancy crystal glasses, and a high crystal chandelier on the ceiling. Fancy drapes were being put up and different arrangements of white flowers were being put on the long table. Different shades of perfectly ironed tablecloths were being brought in. There was also a fountain made for drinks, and I had no doubt that champagne would not be pouring from it. "And Heidi has a request for you."

As soon as he said Heidi's name, I heard her heels click against the fancy linoleum floor and echo across the walls. She looked inhumanely beautiful with her black dress that hugged her tightly and her black pumps as she came toward us. The color of the dress brought out the paleness of her skin and her ruby lips stood out the most, looking like blood instead of lipstick. Her hair was gathered to one side of her head in seemingly one big curl at the bottom and I didn't know how anyone except Demetri in this castle could be attracted to her.

"I need you to pick these up for me," she said, giving me a slip of paper with calligraphy on it. I guessed it was hers because it looked feminine. The list consisted of a specific brand and shade of foundation, lipstick, eyeshadow, eyeliner, and anything else that was makeup related. I knew all these brands, but I also knew they were the best and most expensive.

"You're a young woman, I assume you know about these items," she added simply. "Don't worry about the costs, Alec will have all the funds to cover it."

I looked at her and she had a small smile on her face; one of authority, but also an excitement that she was trying to contain.

"I do," I replied shortly. "I will get them for you." Or for me. This foundation is my shade.

"Marvelous," Aro cheered, moving his eyes behind me. "Ah, our dear Alec. You two must be going now. After all, we only have so long before..." He shifted his eyes to me, smiling darkly. I thought of my dream and of him looking at me that same way.

"Yes, Master," Alec replied curtly, and I felt his hand go across my shoulder, leading me out. It gave me goosebumps and a strange electric feeling that spread through my spine, despite the coolness of his hand. I tried to pretend like my heart wasn't quickening from it. The sensation felt...strangely and bizarrely...right, but I wondered why he would even think to touch me in a way that wasn't threatening. Before the thoughts left my mind, he swiped the list out of my hand and read it; I heard a snort come from him and he mumbled something that I couldn't hear.

"You don't have to get those," I reminded him. "Heidi asked me to."

"Then I suggest you not keep me waiting," he said coldly, thrusting it back to me. He didn't allow me to take it before releasing it and it almost fluttered to the floor. I pushed it into my pocket and followed him out to the dozens of fancy cars they had in their underground garage; BMW Audis, Corvettes, Jaguars, you name it and they had it. However, Alec's choice was always the Audi because he liked to drive. Fast.

Almost two hundred miles per hour.

As soon as I shut my door, he slammed down on the gas pedal and we were on the slim road. My head thumped against the head rest and I buckled my seat belt silently.

"You should be more careful next time," he said with fake innocence. I ignored it and looked out the window, noting the large fluffy clouds in the sky. One was close to shielding the sun and I guessed that Alec would stay in the shade this time as well. While imagining it, a question rose to my mind. I ran it through my mind and knew it probably wasn't smart to ask, but my curiosity got the best of me. I mashed my lips together before opening them; my stomach was doing somersaults and my butt was tingling again.

"What happens when you go in the sun?" I asked, bravely choosing to look at him. The sun wasn't shining on his side of the car and his face was as blank as ever, studying the road. His eyes shifted to the side before returning to it.

"Are you going to push me into the sunlight and hope I will burn, human?" he asked amusedly, looking at me briefly with a smirk. "You'll be disappointed then."

"Those are myths," I stated. "I don't believe you'll burn in the sunlight." Only in fire.

"You will not ever see any of us in the sun, so I suggest you halt your questions," he clipped, totally changing attitudes. "The Volturi have rules about exposure, and I will not commit one of them. I am loyal to my coven."

"I wasn't asking you to," I replied calmly, looking out the window again. I heard him exhale sharply out of his nose and the volume of the radio go up. The song almost made me tense up and the air became instantly awkward. The bass was addicting, but the tension between us was larger. The lyrics made it all the more awkward:

 _I'm in my marquise diamonds_

 _I'm a marquise diamond_

 _Could even make that Tiffany jealous_

 _Mm_

 _You say I give it to you hard_

 _So bad, so bad, make you never wanna leave_

 _I won't_

 _I won't_

 _Gonna wear that dress you like, skin tight_

 _Do my hair up real, real nice_

 _And syncopate my skin to how you're breathing_

Just be calm, I thought to myself as the chorus followed suit. I knew the song, and adored Selena, but it was uncomfortable; especially when you're sitting next to someone you hardly know...and he's a boy. I continued looking at the window, focusing on the green, brown and gray blurs of the trees go by. Alec hadn't said anything about it.

 _I just wanna look good for ya, good for ya_

 _Let me show you how proud I am to be yours_

 _Leave this dress a mess on the floor-_

The music was cut off and I quietly let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. Another song came into focus and I recognized it as well.

 _'Cause if you want to keep me_

 _You gotta gotta gotta gotta got to love me harder_

 _And if you really need me_

 _You gotta gotta gotta gotta got to love me harder_

In hearing it, I didn't know what came over me or what triggered it; I just did the opposite of what I expected I would do:

I laughed. The kind of laugh where you cover your mouth and get the tickling sensation in your stomach that makes you laugh harder. It had just burst out of me and I myself did not even know why I was laughing. I didn't know what was funny: the tension, the song? But it was cut short when Alec slammed on the brakes and I was jammed forward as far as the seatbelt lock would allow. My stomach then felt like it flew up to my throat and my head thumped on the head rest again; I had a sudden wave of car sickness and I looked at him with partially widened eyes. Another bout of adrenaline was beginning to work my system and I couldn't feel the soreness of my body and my heart was thumping.

He was looking at me, his face hard as stone and livid, but his eyes said something else. They seemed amused, and I couldn't tell if he really was mad or not. His eyes were just bright and dancing with something that he would dare not show outside. I couldn't even find words to speak; I just stared back, green against crimson. It wasn't until his eyes slowly raked over me that he spoke.

"Out of the car," he ground out, looking away, and he was gone before my sight. I calmly undid my belt and got out of the car, following him. He kept his back to me and I then noticed that had made it to town. We stayed in the shade and I kept calm and followed behind him, sticking my hands in my pockets. I questioned myself as to why I had laughed. The adrenaline was going away and I was going back into a calmer state of mind. I hadn't known why I laughed, and I decided to put it behind me. It had been a while since I laughed and my body was possibly trying to cheer me up. I now felt embarrassed for laughing in the first place.

I followed him into a place that looked like a mall; it had multiple shops in it like one, including the place I needed to go for Heidi's list, but it was incredibly huge inside. The smell of a pizzeria and different perfumes were in the air. There was a sign in Italian that had arrows pointing directions to different shops, but I could only tell what they were by logo, save a few.

"I expect you to be done by the time I fetch you," he clipped at me. "I will only be gone ten minutes. Do you understand?" He probed me with his eyes again, his face blank, and I silently nodded once; then he went in his direction and I went to mine, which was in another direction. While he went straight forward, I only had to go a few feet before entering the brightly lit, shiny-tiled store. There were all kinds of foundations, powders, eyeliners, mascaras, highlighters, concealers, eye creams, and makeup tools lined up against the glass shelves, and I dug the list out of my pocket to read which brand Heidi asked for. I read the list then scanned the shelves and went over to the foundations, searching for the brand. _Mac, Maybelline, CoverGirl..._

" _Posso aiutarla_?" A woman's voice asked, and I looked toward her. She had a perfect smoky eye and it went well with her brown highlighted hair, which was curled and clipped up halfway. She looked about twenty five, give or take.

"Sorry, I'm not Italian," I said apologetically. Her eyes popped in surprise and she switched to English, placing her hand over her chest.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said, her Italian accent heavy. "Are you looking for a special brand?"

"Oh, no, I've got it," I replied politely.

"All right. Let me know, then," she offered, nodding and skipping away. I turned back to the makeup, read what shade Heidi needed and picked it out. I absentmindedly sang along to myself with the Ed Sheeran song playing overhead, reading the description of the foundation.

 _Don't **** with my love_

 _That heart is so cold_

 _All over my own_

 _I don't wanna know that, babe_

"Hi," someone else said, breaking me out of the tune. I turned to the voice and saw a boy with dirty blond hair, blue eyes, and a baseball cap on backwards leaning against the shelves with his hands in his belt loops. He was only about four inches taller than me and according to his voice, was American. "Were you just singing?"

"Yes," I said slowly and confusedly, moving to the powder, which was in the same brand. I quickly grabbed the needed shade and moved onto eyeliner; I didn't know how much time I had left before Alec would be done. I glanced at the list and then the numerous black pens before grabbing it, too.

"Well, it was beautiful. I just saw you in here all alone and thought I should keep you company," he hinted, following behind me a little too close when I went to the lipstick. "Wanna slow down for me so I can look into those eyes? It's nice to make eye contact."

I started looking over the colors and poked my tongue inside my cheek. His eyes hadn't been comfortable to look into. They didn't hold the same fire as Al-

 _Stop it_ , I chided myself.

I turned a tube of lipstick to read its label and felt the boy's hand go under my chin and turn my head toward him.

"I wanted to ask you if-" he started to say, but I only saw his face for a split second before I was pulled away by something cold; it wrapped around my waist and pinned me to it...or him, rather. My chest was crushed against his ribs and the cold seeped through his clothes. The force had been almost crushing and knocked the breath out of me and there stood Alec in all his vampire glory, staring down at me. I was entirely confused, but I knew what he was doing and I went along with it, despite my now burning cheeks. I looked to the boy and he looked terrified, almost. His eyes were wide and I'll bet his heart was beating fast like mine. He spluttered for words while Alec went along smoothly.

"Did you find everything, sweetheart?" he asked so incredibly nice that it almost fooled me; I was confused because he had been mad at me for laughing and now he was pretending to be my boyfriend and giving me terms of endearment. Not to mention that he actually put his arm around me. I had never had someone do this to me since I never entered the dating world and I was at a loss. I looked to him and I noticed his eyes were violet now instead of crimson; he must have put them in before we entered the mall. When I didn't answer, he smiled, but his eyes were impatient. If losing your breath while losing your breath was possible, I would be doing it; his smile was getting to me and I understood at that moment what book characters meant when they said the protagonist male looked like an angel or a model. I mentally composed myself then and gave an honest answer. _This is fake, you know._

"Almost," I said with a hinted tone, quickly averting my eyes to the boy and back so he knew why I was so slow. He looked to the boy as if he was noticing him for the first time.

"Can I help you?" Alec asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is there any particular reason for you to be in this store?"

I felt bad for the boy, then; he didn't know Alec was a vampire and I wanted to forgive him. I looked to him and he was practically shaking.

"Nah, man, I was just..." he stumbled for words, opening and closing his mouth. His hands were free from his belt loops now, hanging limply at his sides. Poor guy.

"You were just trying to swoon my girlfriend," he replied condescendingly, and I was shocked at how easily the words flowed from his mouth. Swoon my girlfriend. I kept quiet and tried to stay calm from the buzzing going through me, although I wanted to ask Alec to stop. This boy was normal, human, and he didn't deserve to be interrogated over something so small.

"I'm sorry, I..." he backed out of the store, making a run for it. I backed my way out of Alec's grip and looked at him with a grave face.

"You didn't have to do that," I said, trying to swim out of my own head. "He wasn't going to do anything."

I noticed that his contacts were almost gone; the red was dominating over the blue and his face was blank as ever, never showing emotions. It was almost as if the scene never happened.

"You would have been too slow to stop him," he snorted, looking out of the store, then back to me, blinking uncomfortably. "I told you I would be gone ten minutes. My way was much faster, and the time is ticking. I am going to change these contacts, and I do not want to see you in here when I get back. Understood?" He gave me some bills.

I nodded slowly, my lips mashed together, took the bills, and went to finish my shopping. I had no idea why, but my patience was slipping and I just wanted to burst out at him. I wanted to tell him that I could take care of myself, and the thought gave me a dull ache in my stomach. I shook it off and collected the rest of the makeup, going to the front counter. I set all the products down and a nice looking girl with light, very curly brown hair and doe eyes to match came around to scan them all. On her lips was rosy pink lipstick and her name tag read, "Carla". She couldn't have been any older than me, if not the same age.

"Find everything?" she asked, her Italian accent not as heavy as the other woman's I had seen earlier, and whose name tag I hadn't read. I nodded at her and replied yes politely like I had done earlier.

"Is that boy really your boyfriend?" she asked nonchalantly, bagging it all up. I read the total on the small rectangular screen and gave her the correct amount of bills.

"No," I replied.

"Be careful then, honey," she replied with a small sad smile, handing me my change.

I shoved the change in my pocket and took the shiny white plastic bag with the shop's name on it, smiled back at her, slightly confused, and left. I exited the mall-looking place and retraced my steps to the car, beginning to feel the ache in my legs again. There, up ahead, was Alec waiting for me, leaning against the shiny black car. He was looking at nothing in particular and he looked...satisfied. I went to my side of the car and got in without a word, plopping the bag on the floor in front of me. He followed suit, and just like last time, sped off before my seat belt could be put on. He didn't bother putting the radio on this time, and when I put my seat belt on, my eyes caught sight of his jeans.

And the small drop of fresh blood on it. My eyes shifted to his eyes. They were bright crimson, and my stomach dropped with the realization.

He never changed his contacts.

He noticed me looking and turned his head, raising an eyebrow.

"I know I'm particularly good looking, but your staring is quite obvious," he stated.

I ignored his statement completely and my heart ached.

"You killed him," I stated back in disbelief. He scoffed and moved back to the road.

"You are acting as if you have never heard of killing before," he said, rolling his eyes.

"He was just a kid," I said quietly; I felt sad and wondered what kind of life he would have had. Did he have a sister? Older brothers? Younger brothers? Was he going to college? Did he have a dream career? If he had any of those, they had been stolen by the boy sitting next to me. His life force flowed in Alec's eyes and it was sick to think about. "You didn't have to kill him."

"I could care less for a human's life," he deadpanned. "Where there is a human, I feed-" He glanced at me. "Save one. So do not attempt to explain to me the value of one."

I knew he hated humans, but why so deeply? The question just kept picking at me; anytime a human was talked about, he was angry. Now I was upset for the boy and for him. Why did he hate humans so much? Surely not every vampire that existed hated humans, but his unknown reason just confused me. Felix said they were called The Witch Twins, but they weren't from the Salem Witch Trials. Were they accused anyhow? Chased down by God-fearing citizens and burned at the stake? Or put in some electric chair? I continued to stare at him and silently grieve for the boy.

"I can't believe you did that," I barely mumbled, blinking back the sting of tears.

"Are you crying over that excuse for a boy?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "That's quite pitiful of you."

I swallowed and stared hard at him, the sun suddenly turning into shade. I undid my seat belt, realizing that we returned to the castle.

"No, Alec," I said evenly. "You know what that is of me?"

He looked at me, looking the slightest bit surprised that I actually said his name, but mostly annoyed. The crimson in his eyes was almost swirling with something that I didn't want to bother figuring out. I popped the lock up on my door and gripped the white bag in my hand tightly before answering.

"Human," I finished, and exited the car before he could answer, shutting the door. I made my way out of the car garage and through the fire-lit chamber of a hallway to get back into the castle. I went up the two staircases, taking two stairs at a time to get as far away from Alec as possible, and as quick as possible. I needed to work my emotions off; I needed to bust the stress and clear my head of what had happened. If this was going to be my world for eternity, it would surely take some getting used to.

When I finally entered the castle and passed Gianna's desk, I ran into Felix, who looked all business and held a black bundle in his hands. He tossed it to me and took the shopping bag from me.

"Get changed quick," he ordered quietly, and I had no idea why. "We have a lot of work to do. I will take this to Heidi. Meet me outside of the castle, in the back garden. We'll talk then."

With that, he was gone before I could process all of what he said, but I continued on to my room anyway. My muscles were starting to come to the fore of pain again, but felt the slightest bit better from being stretched. Upon thinking about training again, I became excited and anxious. I was confused as to why Felix was being so secretive about it; Aro knew about it; He was the one who wanted me to be trained. Alec hadn't said anything, and neither did Demetri or Heidi. Then again, I wasn't around them very much. I only saw Heidi occasionally since she was helping to decorate for the ball. I didn't get to think about it any further when a girl's voice rang out to me.

"Human," the smooth, feminine voice of Jane echoed down the hall to me. She sounded sharp and demanding. "Stop."

I did as she told me and calmly turned toward her, the bundle of clothes in my hands. She chose to walk toward me, clad in a modest black dress that touched her knees, white sheer pantyhose, and black Mary Jane heels. It was all shielded under her black Volturi cape. The heels dully clacked against the floor and I could tell she wanted to hurt me, but something, I still didn't know what about me, would not allow her.

"I don't appreciate what you have done to my brother," she said simply, her face stony as always and her chin pointed slightly up, but she was angry. "You are the reason he is starting to lose focus of his purpose and I am only going to tell you once to keep watch of your actions. I don't like you being here any more than he does; in fact, I despise it and I would murder you right now if it weren't for Aro's courtesy."

"I didn't ask to be here," I said seriously, staring back into her blazing eyes. She stood at 5'4" to my 5'7" and a half, so I was slightly looking down at her. "I didn't ask for any of this. I would never dream of doing anything to corrupt your relationship with him. I ask that you understand that."

"I don't need excuses, human," she said in her bored but authoritative tone. "Being his singer doesn't give you an access to disrespect any of us. Do what I ask of you or pay for it later."

I knew Jane was enjoying this; she was enjoying trying to scare me. I understood the sisterly protectiveness, but I still had yet to understand the part of both of them that hated humans. I knew Jane didn't like me because I was Alec's singer and because my gift worked on him; I understood their love for one another although I hadn't been around both of them at the same time. I also knew that even if I told Jane this, she wouldn't have listened to me.

"I understand," I replied evenly, bowing my head once.

"Hm," was her reply, looking me over once. "I don't understand what Felix and Demetri see in you."

"Where is David?" I asked, knitting my brow together. Jane was supposed to be helping him with his thirst, wasn't she? Did this mean I would get to see him again?

The tiniest of smiles came across her wide-eyed, full lipped face, making her look more sadistic.

"Wouldn't you like to know, human?" she asked playfully, before turning on her heel neatly and retreating the way she came. I merely did the same, not wanting to be late for Felix's next training session. I looked at the bundle in my hands and separated them, coming up with a sports bra, a black racerback tank top, and black workout shorts with a little white Nike symbol in the corner of the leg.

I ran up to my room as fast as I could and changed so I could meet him.

Xxx

"About time," he announced when I found my way there. The garden was huge and there were millions of types of flowers, including some that I had never seen before in my life. Plants surrounded a huge ceramic fountain, sort of like the one in town square; they covered one whole side of the castle, they wrapped around the stone benches perched inside the ground, and every inch of the ground was green. I noticed the sky had become overcast and the clouds got darker away from the castle and towards a clearing of trees.

"Sorry," I apologized, checking the white laces of the brand new black Nikes he had also included.

"No matter, we have to start now," he said in the same business tone. He motioned with his arm. "Follow me, we're going into the woods."

Obediently I followed him and the line of dark clouds that held heavy bouts of rain. I loved the rain; it made me strangely calm and happy and I hoped it would rain during the session.

Five minutes of walking later, all that surrounded us was humid air, moss, and trees. Not even when I looked behind me could I see any trace of the castle.

"It is important for you shape up and be as fast as you can go," Felix started. "You're going to be running. And running. All throughout today's course. No matter what situation you're in, you must be faster than whoever is chasing you. Minus us, of course." He flashed a grin at the end. "You also must be focused if you are forced to attack while on the run. So, run. As fast as you can. Go."

I did what he said and took off running. I wasn't very fast and running was never my strong suit because I only did the elliptical and necessary leg/arm machines when I was working out in my hometown. Still though, I pushed my legs to run despite the burning and aching of my muscles.

 **THIRTY MINUTES LATER**

"Come on, up!" Felix commanded. "Get up or he will catch you!"

I pulled my soaked body up as fast as I could muster and kept running through the muddy terrains of the forest in what was now a downpour of rain. The sky was darker and the hair that was free of my ponytail stuck to my face; I had mud on my clothes and was beginning to fall on the forest floor because of the rain and mud, but Felix wouldn't stand for it. He made me run back and forth to certain distances like a student would in P.E. on the lines of a basketball court and made me keep running straight forward until he said stop and let me breathe. He also would appear right in front of me and try to trip me; I would have to run around him to dodge and jump over his arm or his foot. He told me this was teaching me to build endurance, speed, and agility. My chest was hurting along with everything else and I felt like my stomach was going to heave everything up, but I kept going. I had some breathing help from my lung capacity, but the fact that I was out of shape made it worse. Felix was right; I had to be focused no matter the situation. All I could see in front of me were trees, trees, trees and no sight of anything else until he showed up two feet away again and I dashed quickly to the left, passing him.

"Turn around!" He yelled after me. I screeched to a halt, almost slipping again, and ran back toward him. "Pick up your legs!"

My legs were on the verge of giving out and the muscles burned and screamed for rest so bad that they trembled when I stopped, but I pushed anyway and almost missed the jump over his foot.

"Is that really how fast you can run?" he asked, easily keeping pace with me; he was barely jogging. I slipped once again and rolled across the mud, adding more to my clothes. Finally my stomach couldn't take anymore and I rolled over, heaving up my breakfast from this morning.

"You know, even when you have a humanly upheaval, you still have to run," he said, dropping a water bottle beside me. I felt like I was punched in the stomach from running so much and once I moved away from my mess, I drank the bottle like I had been in a desert for a week. I was so out of breath and my heart was beating so fast.

"Are you...gonna make me end up like...that guy who ran all the way...to Marathon in Greece?" I asked between breaths. Felix laughed at that.

"You've forgotten he ran for days on end without stopping," he said. "We are going to work on your speed. You're quite slow. Of course, all humans are slow to us, so I guess we would have to work on it either way. Now, up." He lifted me up easily.

"You're going to have to be prepared even when you're in hiding," he said, and suddenly knocked the bottle out of my hand and moved to grab me. My brain scrambled to remember the moves he taught me yesterday and my body somewhat remembered; I grabbed his arm, and since it was impossible, I pretended to throw him.

"Efficiency is key," he said sternly. "You'll have to know how to fight no matter what. I'm going to teach you to turn your whole body into a weapon."

 **THIRTY MORE MINUTES LATER (A/N: Sorry, I'm no good at training details although I took a judo class my freshman year of college, haha! But this training is different, so I just typed what I knew about the self defense I learned)**

"Up, up!" Felix yelled, and I roundhouse kicked the pad on his hand once again; if I were to kick his actual hand, my foot would break. He swung his arms in an attempt to punch and I dodged them once more, and pretended to elbow him in the face and trip him. He went easy on me, of course, because the Volturi were too highly trained for me to actually fight; he would pretend to fall, trip, and get hit to have an effect.

"Good. You're improving," he appraised, swiftly rising to his feet in one motion. "Run one more time. And do not hesitate in attacking this time."

The rain had let up, but it still continued, and I had fallen a couple more times in the mud. I probably had little scratches all over my legs, courtesy of the stinging sensation on my skin; I never stopped to look. The air was leveling toward cool and thunder was starting to sound in the sky. I didn't know what time it was or how long we'd been outside, but it had to be sometime in the afternoon. I did what Felix said and took off running again, my legs getting more acquainted to it now. About twenty seconds in, he appeared just like before and instead of dodging him, I rolled on the ground using my shoulder and got up as quickly as I could, facing him. We (falsely) battled it out and I felt my body moving more easily with the moves.

Five minutes later, he showed me the last exercise.

"When the enemy is coming after you, no matter how far away he is, you will not always be able to attack," he said, his hands behind his back. "This procedure I am going to teach you is an alternate motive for when you need to buy yourself some time. The enemy will know you are going to attack if he sees you get into position. Don't do that."

"What about being ready?" I asked lowly.

"Look at me," he said, opening his arms. "I am just standing here, aren't I? But that doesn't mean I will not attack you, does it?"

"No," I answered. "So you want me to be calm."

"Correct," he approved. "Do not let him know you know how to fight. Let him underestimate you. Trick him. I made you do endless push ups for a reason and I will show you. When the enemy is within a range of three feet from you, and running, you will drop immediately on the ground in a push up position and he will trip over your body if done at the right time. Like so." He stood still for a few seconds and, in a human speed, dropped into the position with his head dropped. His nose almost touched the ground and he jumped right back up on his feet.

"You're up," he said, brushing off his Volturi coat. In vampire speed, he practically disappeared from my sight and was about five feet away from where I was standing in half a second. Without warning, he took off, running faster than his usual human pace. I almost panicked at the sight of it, but heeding his advice, I stayed calm and timed the move, dropping to the position right before he could pretend to attack me. Of course, vampires could never trip over anything, and he had to also pretend to trip.

"Damn, nice timing," he said. "You have a calculative brain, don't you, little woman?" He used his nickname for me; he found out I was Native American and decided to have fun with that little fact and give me his own Native American name.

"I guess," I said, catching my breath. My body was so tired and I wondered how bad this would hurt tomorrow. That's when I noticed that I felt so much better; the emotions and events that happened earlier didn't seem important at the moment. I was slightly on my own high from the exercise.

" _You_ will be one hell of a vampire," he grinned, and my stomach still turned at that thought. I just nodded.

"I have to go practice for the ball," I said, turning to go.

"Just one minute," he ordered, and I paused, turning to him. It was almost like running into Jane again. His face was serious, and he stepped closer to me, the redness of his irises frozen.

"You have to promise you will not tell anyone of our training," he said in a hard voice. "It is imperative that you follow this."

"But I thought Aro-"

"Promise," he interrupted, his eyes softening just the slightest bit. I had no idea as to why he wanted me to do this; but if Aro had commanded him to say it, I would have no choice but to accept. My stomach flipped and flopped a little, and I hated keeping secrets, but something deep in my mind told me this was different.

"I promise."

 **Okay, okay, I'm sorry, ouch! Don't throw tomatoes at me! Hey, who allowed dodgeballs into this?! *dodging inanimate objects***

 **I'm sorry I haven't uploaded my chapter in so long, but I told you this was coming. I've started my sophomore year of college and I've had to really focus on my school work because I flunked out and if I don't pass this time, I won't get to get back in college. I've been writing this chapter little by little though, and it took a lot of planning, so I hope you like it.**

 **Soooo, how about that mall scene, huh? That poor innocent blonde boy *cries* WHY DID ALEC EAT HIM? Because he's mean. It broke my heart to put that in there because I'm very soft hearted, but I've learned that I have to explore with Alec a little more and actually commit to his character. But how about that awkward car scene? I laughed when the idea came up in my head. I laughed for days about it and I'm excited to know what you guys will think. I hope you laugh. What do you guys think of the run in with Jane and Cheyenne? A little different than the David and Alec scene, but girls will be girls lol. Why do you guys think Felix made her promise not to tell? I DON'T KNOWWW, WE'LL FIND OUT ON THE NEXT FAMILY GUY EPISODE! *PLAYS THEME SONG* Haha, jk.**

 **Anyway, please review, and if you do, maybe Jane won't use her gift on you. MAYBE. I can't make any promises, she never listens to anyone except Alec.**


	18. Story Time!

**CPOV**

"This is the third time that they've seen each other!" Felix yelled at the TV, flopping his arms on the leather couch with a dull thumping sound. I was in the middle between Demetri and Felix on the long black leather couch in their one of many lounge rooms. Felix let me pick a movie and I wanted something familiar to cut out all of the homesickness, so I went with Forrest Gump. The homesickness still sat in my stomach like a rock, but after being here for nearly a week, I was warming up to everyone. Except Jane, who I rarely ever saw.

"Humans are the slowest species next to snails," Felix grumbled distractedly, and I almost thought he would rip the couch in half.

Two days ago it had been that Felix made me train in the rain and I caught a cold. My nose was running and I was feeling colder and more tired than usual. Alec hadn't noticed my symptoms, but if he did, he didn't show it or react to it. He had, however, noticed the little scrapes I received from slipping and sliding in the mud. I had almost given my promise to Felix away in that conversation, but that wasn't what had been most bothersome to me. It was that Alec had seen me practically naked and torn a piece of my heart out. And although I hadn't broken my promise, I made a mistake in the matter anyway. I had encouraged the very thing I was trying to avoid since I got here.

 _"Ouch, ouch," I mouthed to myself as I stepped out of the shower, grabbing the huge white towel that laid on the fancy silver rack. I patted my face dry and squeezed all the water out of my hair before wrapping it around me. Apparently little thorns and stickers were, in fact, hiding in the mud as I fell in it time and time again, and I wondered aimlessly why Felix asked me not to tell anyone about this training. The graveness in his features told me it was a tightly wrapped reason. Aro wanted to see my progress and my strength. Why was that secretive? It wasn't, something told me. It was something more than that. It made my stomach ache dully, as if my intuition was nudging at me. He had returned to his goofy self though, once it was over and he told me to "hit the showers"._

 _I hadn't seen Alec since we got back from town; he was probably with Jane, and she was probably plotting ways to hurt me. Again. Or telling him about our little conversation in the hall. I wasn't going to hate Jane; I wasn't going to hate anybody here, because there was no point; eternity was a long time to forgive people. Aro may be pushing it with the performance and Alec may be pushing my anger with his mood swings, but these vampires are old. Everyone had a motive behind their actions and I just couldn't judge that, no matter how threatening the twins were and no matter how persuasive and compromising Aro was. And, I found myself starting to accept that I was here and I was here forever. I had my painful story, the twins had theirs, and maybe even Caius and Marcus had one. Whatever their stories, we all had them, and I was only interested in one at the moment._

 _I bent down to pat my legs dry, igniting the sting from the raw skin on it. The scratches were little ones, but sharp, just like thorns would cut. They were all across my shins, and longer scrapes were parallel with my thighs from when I slid on them like a home base. Among that, my legs were beginning to look stronger, more sinewy. I poked my thigh and then my calf and wondered if Felix documented this. He never carried around a clipboard or a book with him to write down any progress. Then again, he wouldn't need to. Vampires could hold things in memory for a long time._

 _I came out of the bathroom, taking the muddy pile of clothes with me. I had put them in the sink so that I could wash the dirt down the drain later. I didn't want to ruin their perfect marble countertops or the expensive bath rugs that they spent possibly hundreds of dollars, or euros, on. Tossing the clothes into the newly found hamper (which wasn't there until I got back), I stepped into the walk-in closet that was almost half the size of my room. I flicked through the millions of clothes, which were becoming more and more formal every time I went in here. It was getting hard to look for normal clothes, and the closest I got was the last band t-shirt with "Paramore" written on it and a red haired girl looking down with a halo above her head. Little paint splatters were scattered on it as a part of the design. I was uncertain that I would ever see it again; I had never worn the same thing twice since I've been here._

 _"You're bleeding. Why?" Alec's voice came from the closet door, and it made me jump. I hadn't heard a single sound from the outside, or maybe I just wasn't paying attention, but it scared me nonetheless. Out of my peripheral vision, he was standing perfectly still in the doorway, leaning against the jamb with one ankle crossed over the other, along with his arms, back in his Volturi uniform, cape and all. I heard him inhale deeply, and he walked toward me slowly. He asked this simply, but there was an unknown threat already formed behind it. He wasn't concerned about my bleeding; he was mad at it._

 _I pulled the shirt off the hanger silently and turned to the shelves with all the pants on it, picking through it. I didn't understand why he was speaking to me, because my talk with Jane earlier clearly told me that Alec had been upset with me. I had been upset with him for killing a boy who hadn't done anything, but I could only name it as...jealousy. Alec didn't have to pretend to be my boyfriend, but he did. He could have watched from a distance and laughed at how I was being cornered by the boy, but he didn't. He claimed I would have been too slow to stop him, but that excuse just didn't fit. I pushed away the feeling I got when he had his arm around me, when he pretended to be so nice. My heart was thumping from him standing there, seeing me like this, and I couldn't find anything to say. I just kept in my solitude of quiet, trying to come up with something._

 _"I fell," I said clearly, swiping a pair of Nike leggings from the shelf. I wasn't sure if Felix put those there for another day, but they would hide the scratches. I wasn't lying, technically. I did fall. But I knew exactly how it would sound to him. It would sound like the typical excuse you hear from that kid who's secretly abused outside of school._

 _I was expecting him to be mad, but I wasn't expecting to be slammed into the shelves to the point where they shook with Alec's stone cold hand resting between my neck and shoulder. My hand flew to keep the towel intact; I could feel the edges of the shelves pressing into my back and my heart beating through my ears. His face was blank and hard as he spoke deathly low. It was the scariest he'd looked all week._

 _"Lie to me one more time," he said, and I almost didn't hear him because it was so quiet. Lethal._

 _"I'm not," I answered back. The cold was seeping into my skin and leaving goosebumps in its wake, and it also didn't help that I was still wet from the shower. His eyes were blazing and he had had just about enough of my subtlety. But that was me; I hated speaking a lot. I never started the conversations; I left that up to the other person._

 _A feral growl came from his throat and it was starting to trigger more adrenaline. He stayed like that, staring, with the blank expression, but the mad swirling eyes. I couldn't help but let the thought slip through my head that he was actually sort of beautiful while doing it, but that thought was washed away quickly by the torrent of thoughts and blood already rushing through my brain. Then slowly, his eyes started to rake down my body. Over my face. Over my neck, which he paused at for a moment before moving to my chest, my midsection, my legs, and then my feet and back up to my eyes. I felt exposed, like the towel hadn't even been there, like he was looking past me and trying to look in me instead of just at my body. Then, he started moving. Stepping forward so smoothly. Moving his head, tilting it, as if he were going to kiss me, only he wasn't. He moved past my face, only to stop right at my neck. I told my heart to stop beating so fast, but it wouldn't listen; it was going on its own accord, as biology explained. Nobody had ever come this close to me, and like this either, and it was truly both uncomfortable and slightly exciting. My stomach was doing weird flips and somersaults and twisting around._

 _The sound of Alec inhaling slowly and deeply through his nose made me stop completely, and I felt the cold tip of his nose brush my skin. I didn't understand why he was doing this, and everything and nothing was going through my head all at once. I couldn't even remember that I had a body._

 _"One more time," he said with the strangest mix of his amusement, lethality, and if I heard correctly...choking. I felt the words form in my throat and only gave myself so much time before he got angry again. I wasn't even sure if he was still angry at this point. It was all so confusing. Was he trying to torture me or himself?_

 _"I fell," I scratched out, then swallowed, awaiting his reaction. I heard another growl come forth and then he wasn't there anymore. He was back in his spot two feet away from me, reaching into his Volturi jacket with the angriest glare. I finally remembered I had a body again, although there was the strangest humming running through it like electricity. But when I saw what he held in his hand, the world practically stopped turning._

 _My phone. He took my phone._

 _I remembered when I fell asleep with it the day after I saw my brother and reluctantly told Alec, but why hadn't I noticed that it was ever gone?_

 _I instinctively reached out to grab it, but as always, he was too fast, his hand a blur. He held it between his thumb and forefinger, dangling it with a sinister grin on his face. Although I hated to admit that he looked beautiful doing that too, I was also confused and beginning to be hurt._

 _"You have a lot of interesting things here, human," he taunted with an evil smile. "And I would love to play cat and mouse with you, but if only you would tell me the truth." His eyes darkened again and his glare came back._

 _And for whatever reason that a spark of confidence chose to light up within me, I took it, and locked my eyes straight with his._

 _"I. Fell," I repeated for the third time clearly. His face didn't change, but he began to turn my phone around and around in his white hands. They were moving so fast that it was all a blur of white and pink. I watched his hands, sliding my eyes back and forth between it and him. Red. White. Pink. Red. White. Pink._

 _"You love your brother, don't you, human?" he lilted slowly. "You can't live without him. So poor of you to be taken away from your only blood, isn't it? Wondering every evening where he is. What he will do without you. All of the memories incorporated in your mind, wasted. Why, it breaks your little human heart, doesn't it?" he asked, almost sneering at the end. He was circling around me, flipping my phone around and around, leaning his face in on certain words. His smell was everywhere and I fought to stop liking it while he was taunting me, trying to break me. Whenever the cold hit against my cheek, he held a new scent with him that was even more enticing. Berries. A mix of all the types of berries in the world concocted into one mouthwatering swirl of sweet and tart._

 _"And all you have left of him is this," he waved my phone around in my face slowly, chuckling darkly to himself. "It would be a shame if it were destroyed, wouldn't it? All of the messages. All of your music. It would all seem like a waste of time, wouldn't it? All those years together, only to be torn apart."_

 _"What do you want?" I asked quietly, almost frustrated. He had gone through my phone and I felt almost as naked as I physically was right now. He saw the messages I sent, my music, and who knows what else. He could have gone through the whole thing for all I knew. My eyes were stinging with tears at the thought of my brother and he knew it, too._

 _"The truth," he said in a hard voice, stopping with the twisting. "You are covering something and you are the worst liar I have ever met." He sounded disgusted at the end._

 _"I did fall," I repeated again, although what he said was true. I was bad at lying and my expressions never helped, but I wasn't lying here. "I'm telling the truth."_

 _He tightened his grip on my phone slightly, and I knew what he was going to do._

 _And for whatever reason my heart-shooting-up-to-my-throat panic chose to fire a neuron in my brain, I knew I had made a mistake for myself. My hand shot up and covered his in a rush to stop him._

 _"I'll show Aro then," I blurted out. "I'll show him myself and then you can see. I'm not lying."_

 _He stopped for a moment, and tilted his head slightly as if he was thinking about that. He looked curious, amused, and angry all at the same time while narrowing his eyes. Then his eyes moved over me once more as they had earlier and his lips formed a small smile as he barely squeezed his hand and the rest of my world shattered literally and figuratively. With the smile plastered on his face, he leaned close to my face again._

 _"You disgust me, human," he said coldly. "You are the weakest thing I have ever seen in my millennium of living and the worst excuse for a human. You feel sorry for every living thing and it is pathetic. You aren't attractive, you see. Every member in this castle despises your needs and your existence. You will never survive as a Volturi member, and you will never surpass me and my sister. I cannot fathom what Aro sees in you as an immortal. So I suggest that you hope he takes mercy on you when..." He paused to chuckle darkly again, which allowed the coolness of his breath to fan across my face. I held my breath just so I wouldn't smell the scent of the berries. "Well. I will just leave you with that thought. I have more important things to do and see." He scraped his eyes over me with disgust._

 _His words I had heard before from people in middle school. The unattractive part, anyway. But feeling sorry for every living thing was me being shy to everyone. I knew all these things, but it made tears flood my eyes and my throat develop a lump. My body felt dragged down by his words and there was that ache again. I couldn't think of anything to say back to him; he had twisted, shaken, and ripped apart my world and I only had one piece of it left. I had reigned myself in for the past week and promised to be strong, but that last string was about to collapse._

 _"Oh, you poor baby," he mocked slowly, running his finger down the length of my face. "She cries. How so very_ human _of you." He said acidly, mocking my words from earlier that day. He straightened back up and walked leisurely out of the closet. But before he fully left, he smirked and added some last words._

 _"I can't wait to see what Aro sees in your pitiful mind."_

He laughed musically, and then was gone.

Since that day, Alec had happily been taunting me, but not with words. Alec was the opposite of Jane, so I learned. Where Jane was torturous, he was silent and deadly. No words came from his mouth; though he was silent, I only knew he was with me at night because of the coolness of the air that ghosted from the left side of the bed and nowhere else. The only wake up call I got was a ripping of the covers from my body. He had seen right through my attempts to be strong and was rubbing my face in it. He also got back into his habit of destroying things, like "accidentally" sloshing milk from my cereal bowl onto my lap (note: vampires don't do anything on accident). He even threw me over his shoulder once and hissed that I was too slow for everything, but that was only because I was sore from training and I was still trying to hide that. But, that was all ending for however long because Alec and Jane had left while I was sleeping the night before. Apparently, I was getting in the way of their time together. I already knew that and didn't blame them. I'd escape for time with my brother if I could.

Felix and Demetri had been in charge of me because, as Jane had put it, someone had to "babysit the human" while they were gone. The other part of me, though, was strangely missing Alec. It had only been a handful of hours into the day and I couldn't pay very much attention to the TV because I was trying to make sense of the strange feeling I had of his absence. It was like getting used to sleeping in your room after a whole month at summer camp.

Felix immediately asked to sing karaoke after I had breakfast, but because I was sick, he let us watch a movie instead (to his dismay).

Aro heard of our little incident in the closet (and I had no doubt that everyone else heard too, seeing as they can hear everything everywhere except for in the soundproofed room) and was more than happy for me to finally let him see everything. Which, if I had control over, I'd only let him see that I wasn't lying about falling. The only reason it didn't happen right away was because Aro wanted Alec there for proof. I was safe for a couple of days, but then the idea hit me: by showing Aro, I was breaking my promise. He would see my conversation with Felix. Realization hit me like a strong wind and my mistake grew that much bigger.

But wait.

My thoughts moved back. Felix asked me not to tell Aro about my training. Ever since I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone, though, it shifted my belief in Aro knowing. Why not tell anyone when Aro orchestrated it? Is Aro planning to make a big bad vampire machine out of me? Bigger than Jane and Alec combined so that I can be his brand new toy, only to have Jane and Alec put on the shelf? That made me uncomfortable. I was uncomfortable with this whole endeavor. I never liked being in the spotlight, metaphorically. Being in the literal spotlight was fun because I was only doing something I enjoyed, but my shyness knocked that down a few notches. I was always looking for ways to stay in the shade, blend in the crowd, and stay in the background so no one would notice. I was only comfortable with very few people in my life, so just the thought of being a vampire itself had my stomach in knots. I had not seen one shy, introverted vampire here except for Marcus, who seemed the closest to it because he never talked.

Felix dreamily told me the changes he noticed in their (or rather, his) most coveted Cullen, Bella. When she was a human, she was more shy and hesitant, except for the time she bitingly got onto Aro about the topic of her husband's soul or something. When they almost battled over her half human daughter, he labeled her as "Thelma Thereafter" and the Bonnie to his Clyde. She had obviously become more confident after her change, but that was only because she naturally accepted vampires from the start, so he said. I tried to count the days I had left as a human, but I didn't know how many there were; Aro had never spoken of when I would be a vampire, and the only reason David was one now was Aro's way of making us stay; that I was sure of. It brought me back to my first dream of seeing myself in the broken glass. Pale. Immortal. And, dare I say it, _beautiful_.

How could my hair have looked so shiny with tumbling waves at least three inches longer? How could it have gone from a lighter brown to a darker one with the almost invisible red showing through it? How could my skin have been so smooth and poreless with no sign of color but still the most perfect porcelain? How could my lips have been fuller and instead of its natural pink, sport a darker rose? How could my face have gone from a rounder shape to almost a heart? How could my nose and jawline have been defined and looked as if it was chiseled by the most talented hands? And how, for the love of all that's holy, could my eyes have gone from their small football shape to a bigger, slightly rounder shape with endless dark lashes to frame them and terrifying red irises to mark my new species?

I had been beautiful, but I didn't care about that. I didn't want to lose myself; my humanity. My respect for anyone, human or vampire. People were people; they made mistakes and I had no place to say whether they were good or bad. I thought of David, then. I haven't been seeing him, but I knew he was struggling with his thirst and his newfound identity as a vampire. I just hoped he would be at the ball and not locked up in some sort of vampire cage.

"I take it Alec has no idea of your sickness," Demetri stated, raising an eyebrow at me. I snapped out of my reverie and watched Jenny and Forrest walk around the Capitol together on the screen. I opened my mouth slightly, then closed it, giving him the answer he needed.

"Please," Felix said. "Anyone who didn't know would have to be blind. Alec's done nothing to help it. I gave her the medicine. I don't believe Alec would tolerate it any further if he heard her constant sniffling."

Demetri was quiet for a moment and then he chuckled, watching the screen briefly. "Ah, he's never been so angry since he woke up as an immortal. You've done quite a number on him. I'm not sure if it's fantastic or horrific." He gave a charming grin, which I admit was beautiful with all the rows of perfect white teeth glistening in the light.

"Alec is the most complex member in the Volturi," Felix joined in distractedly, and I turned my attention to him. "No one's been able to piss him off like you have or set him off. And that's saying something because that's Jane's job. Nothing bothers Alec. Nothing, except any hint of harm to Jane. Do you know how many times he's spoken since he's been a vampire? Hardly. He sits in his room mumbling to himself now and it's more words than in his entire life. He never talks about humans unless he's eating them. Sadistically."

I blushed and half expected Felix to put a joke in there, but none came, which was unusual since he was always making match-maker jokes. He was probably upset about not getting to train me for the last couple of days, but something told me that wasn't it. He was distracted from the movie just like I was. Alec mumbling to himself about me sounded unreal, because...who would mumble about me?

"Speaking of...life," Demetri started, whipping his head to Felix, and I looked at the TV again. My thoughts stayed on Alec. I didn't want to make him mad; it was starting to drain me with all of the fighting and bullying, but he was also pushing me to my wit's end. One part of me wanted to keep the peace and the other wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine. I was getting fed up and just couldn't keep a hold on my patience with Alec. It was slipping, and when and if I ever chose to explode on him, I wasn't sure of what he would do. And frankly, the angry part of me didn't care. But dang it, the part about him mumbling to himself about me made me bounce right back to compassion. I didn't know of any stories where any one of these vampires asked for immortality.

"Do you remember forty three years ago, Felix?" Demetri finished with a coy smile, raising a perfect frosty blond eyebrow. "Perhaps a dear blonde ourselves?" He said slowly. I perked my ears up and listened between them, glancing toward Demetri.

Felix, in the same slow speed, slid his eyes over to Demetri first in realization, then gave a smile of his own before nodding slowly. I glanced between them, trying to translate their secret eye conversation.

"Ohhhh, shit," Felix answered with a now glowing grin. "This just got interesting." He averted his red eyes to me and between my own diversion, their eyes looked like red laser dots. Felix was excited now, and I had no idea what they were up to. I was that much more lost.

"Do you think she'll make an appearance?" Demetri asked in his lovely English accent. "With a human in the picture...it's been years since any entertainment occurred."

"Oh, she'll be there. She wouldn't miss anything with Alec involved. I'm pretty sure she counts down the years until she sees him again," Felix scoffed.

Wherever this conversation was going, I had no idea, but if they were talking about a vampire woman, she wasn't one of the Volturi. The words Felix answered with put a drop in my stomach. I wouldn't have any doubt she was beautiful, because all the vampire females I've seen have been. Heck, the whole vampire species was beautiful.

"How angry do you think she'll be when she finds out?" Demetri asked with a laugh. "Oh, it's going to be great. Do you remember what happened to the last person that tried to talk to Alec with her around?"

Felix's booming laughter mixed with Demetri's more proper sounding one and it still turned out musical like everyone else's laugh around here. I was getting more confused but more curious. She who? Did she have a crush on Alec? Was she an old friend? I already knew she couldn't have been if she was going to be 'angry'. It was more than that. At least to her.

"Yep," Felix replied, peering down at me as if I knew exactly what they were talking about. "Everyone's been aloof of her since. No woman goes near Alec when she's around. But she's going to have a cow when she sees you." He gave a cheesy grin and wiggled his eyebrows. Hearing a handful-of-centuries-old vampire say, "have a cow" was ultimately strange, though. And sort of funny.

"What does this have to do with me?" I asked finally. "Some girl has a crush on Alec? Why am I involved?"

Demetri looked at me like I was crazy, and the widening of his eyes made the crimson look creepier than usual. He raised a frosty blonde brow at me and spoke slowly, dragging out the first two sentences.

"Are you being serious? It has _everything_ to do with you, love. Camilla's going to be furious when she finds out about you. She would tear you apart in seconds for even looking at Alec if she could," He sounded none too concerned about the possibility, and I looked toward him, earning a charming grin and a sultry, beautiful laugh that showed his glistening white teeth.

"Oh, look at your face! Humans!" Demetri exclaimed, throwing his head back. Apparently, it was the funniest thing in the world.

"Anyone who attacks one of the Volturi will be massacred, if they even dare try," Felix added in, knocking his hand on my shoulder in reassurance. "Camilla absolutely goes _mad_ when someone tries to take Alec from her. It's ludicrous, really. She becomes jealous over nothing." He scoffed.

"Alec's life has changed now. There's no going back," he continued. "Once you meet your singer, that's it." After a brief pause, he snickered. "This is going to be good. She's gonna lose her shit." He shook his head and looked at the TV.

"Oh, great, now they're leaving each other again," he scoffed, plopping his arms against the couch, watching the scene. "He's head over heels for her, and she's completely blind! Bitch." He mumbled at the end.

"So you guys wanna rub me in her face," I filled in the blanks, thinking about her name. It sounded even more beautiful than what she probably looked like. All kinds of features went through my mind and I tried to piece them together to make the perfect woman. It only made my stomach drop more.

"Oh, we'll do more than that," Felix answered; if Demetri could produce any tears, he'd probably be wiping his eyes from laughter, which was wrapping up. "Alec's been tired of her since they met. He only allows her to see him because he likes to fuck her. Then they go their separate ways and don't see each other for fifty or so more years. She, though...she is attached. Badly. If Alec wasn't in the Volturi..." He shook his head and locked eyes with Demetri, who finished up his laughing fit. "I swear on my own life that she would keep him locked up somewhere."

"Really," Demetri agreed with a scoff, all traces of his laughter gone. He put his ankle on top of his knee and continued. "I want to regurgitate my meals whenever I see her. She's nothing compared to Heidi or even Jane. Or you. And you're a human." He said while I huffed through my nose in response like Alec did to make a chuckling sound; yeah, I was spending too much time with him.

The thought of Alec being with her though, or anyone for that matter, in that way, only increased the stony feeling in my stomach. I mean, I didn't doubt that vampires had or wanted any time of entertainment or intimacy; they were living forever, they had to have something to do. It was just the thought of Alec being so close to her, touching her, kissing her, or saying whatever things he says to her with his musical voice that twisted my insides. I'd been sensitive and emotional lately and I couldn't place my finger on why except for this whole situation. Yes. Yes, I was sick. I'm totally sick. This whole situation has my emotions going out of control and my brain is searching for comfort.

"I don't see the point in this," I tried to say carelessly, but it didn't come out the way I wanted. "I'm already being put out there by singing. I think that's enough. Plus, if you do this without Alec knowing, he's going to be even more mad. He'll think I did it."

Something in me pushed itself into my mind and told me I knew exactly why they wanted to do this. Everything always happened for a reason, but I wanted to kick out the idea that I could change Alec's or any of the Volturi's lives. They were vampires. And strict ones. No vampire was going to listen to a human because we were food to them. Would a human listen to a cow or a carrot?

"Christ, calm down," Felix arched his brow at me as if I was crazy. "Damn, you worry way too much. We've known Alec for centuries, and you have known him a week. I think we know how he will react. He'll take it out on us, not you. Are you that scared of him?"

"He hasn't put his hands on you since you were first here, I can tell," Demetri added in carelessly, scanning over my arms. He slid his finger down the inside of the top of my arm with his long, icy finger. "You must heal fast for a human, because I see no evidence."

I followed his finger with my eyes and his words rang true. Where there used to be the shadows of Alec's fingers, there was only the smooth, pale-ish skin of my arm and veins in contrast to Demetri's white finger. Alec only gripped me too hard the day of my haircut. I counted back the days; five. (A/N: I had to go back in my story and count how many days had passed by events to find this out. It's been a while.) It normally took a bruise only three to disappear on me, but Alec's strength made these deeper. They should have started to yellow by this day, but were instead gone. It was probably the protein that Felix made me eat since I started training and nothing else. I haven't gotten to cheat yet and I planned to soon. Without him knowing, of course. The more protein a person has, the easier and faster they heal from bruises. So I've read.

"You're the most innocent human we have ever met," Felix said, still giving me the crazy look. "You are extremely people pleasing, aren't you?"

"Oh?" Demetri inquired flirtatiously again, and I rolled my eyes, giving my attention to the wall.

"I don't like fights," I pointed out. "And I'm not afraid of Alec. I just don't want to make him mad. He's already mad about me being here, and if he was mad before that, I don't want to fuel the fire. He...deserves peace, basically."

They both stared at me, frozen as statues, and I warily gave them glances when I didn't hear any responses. Their crimson eyes were wide with surprise like my head turned all the way around my neck. They looked like they were alien to nice words and their faces thawed out as they started to ponder.

"Mary, Jesus, and Joseph," Felix said, not moving still. "Do you realize what you just said?"

"Talk about innocent. I can't believe my ears. Blow my bloody head off," Demetri leaned back into the corner of the leather couch and they played a game of glancing between themselves and me again. " _Nobody_ , and I mean _nobody_ has wished peace to Alec. Ever. Never in the history of our existence. That's leaving out Aro, of course."

"All I said was he deserves peace," I said confusedly, glancing at them. "I mean, doesn't he go through enough with me here? He pretty much hates me."

"I can see angel wings sprouting from your back," Felix exaggerated with a gesture to my back. "Alec can try hate you for as long as possible, but soon he won't be able to anymore. A vampire and a singer are more powerfully polarized than super glue. To the layperson." Smirk. The way Felix kept describing whatever "bond" was between me and Alec made it sound like we couldn't be anything but-

"Aro loves a pure human," Demetri mused, running his finger along my cheek, which interrupted my thoughts. It felt like sliding an ice cube over my skin and he leaned in then, inhaling deeply like Alec did. I wanted to automatically lock his arm behind his back, which was something Felix taught me, but I fought that urge. "As do I. You smell incredibly refreshing. A freshly bloomed rose with that hint of exhilarating coolness."

"Demetri, you're scaring her," Felix said slyly, and I couldn't tell if they were joking or not. They could be funny at times, but their age contradicted that sometimes. I decided to muster up a brave moment at this point, because his closeness was becoming sufficiently awkward. I became accustomed to everyone's smell and memorized them all.

"Well, you smell like coconut, so," I said. "You should stop wearing coconut bras in your spare time."

"I beg your pardon?" He replied, astonished, whipping himself back to his spot. An ice cold breeze of said coconut came my way. It didn't exactly smell like pure coconut; it smelled a little like my brother's Axe paste, which had a light coconut smell, but also a hint of...boy or something. Not the same "boy" I smelled from Alec, though. Felix burst out in his booming laugh at my statement and almost whooped with it, while Demetri just looked plain offended. " _Coconut_?"

"So, how did they exactly meet?" I asked hesitantly, and looked at Felix while ignoring Demetri. I couldn't stop my curiosity from growing; something in me just had to know. I think my heart was practically beating with anticipation that he could hear. His laughter stopped abruptly and he looked at me like he was reading my mind. He knew.

"Are you sure you can handle it?" he asked, raising a brow. "This is a sultry story. You won't approve of it."

"I think she deserves to hear the bloody story," Demetri answered bitterly in my ear, earning a biting chill to move across my cheek. "Oh, yes, love. There's history, all right. Lots of history between them. Endless occurrences of broken bed frames and wall-trembling screams-"

"Demetri, why don't you go fetch her some food?" Felix cut in, unfazed by his attempt to crush my insides (not literally) into a million pieces with the sexual stories. I wasn't sure I even wanted to eat after hearing this story, much less now. Felix's eyes were laughing, if only so little. I heard nothing from Demetri and felt only a breeze with the closing of the door two seconds later. I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding and looked to Felix. His brow was arched and he let out the small chuckle that was in his eyes.

"I was wondering when you were going to breathe," he said. "Forget what Demetri said. We all know that happened." He waved his hands like it was nothing and proceeded to look me right in the eyes. "Do you want to hear this?"

Did I want to hear the story of how Alec met this apparently crazy vampire who worshiped the ground he walked on and risk giving myself an ulcer? My mind said no, but my gut said yes. After all, this story couldn't really change how I felt (if I even knew how I felt) about Alec and what I thought of him. Even though he crushed my phone and last piece of connection to the outside world, that wasn't what this was about. Whatever the story contained, I only felt as if it would take me closer to all of Felix's inputs about our "connection". I didn't know what I was getting myself into, and I didn't even want to tell Alec this was happening. There was a deep pool of unknown that I was diving into, but I wanted to do it. I wanted to know, against my nature of being aloof of anyone except myself. I wanted to know all about Alec and I couldn't deny it. I looked right back in Felix's crimson irises and answered him.

"Yes."

He picked up the remote to the huge TV and turned it off, watching me carefully while beginning and placing it back down. He was either watching for my reactions or trying to hold himself away from my thumping heart and running blood.

"It was in 1865 after the Civil War. We were on an assignment to find a runaway vampire. He murdered a whole village of humans in the Massachusetts area for his own feeding and left it unkempt. Being a newborn, he was faster than the normal tempered vampire; more crazed. I told everyone to split up and search in every direction for him. Of course, Demetri got there first, but I was in a closer distance to Alec. Almost a mile away from me, I heard their conversation. I decided to spy, should she be with the newborn."

 _"Are you with him?" Alec asked in a calm manner. The threat of the black mist was upon her. Long, golden curls fell to the crook of her arms, and by the look of her skirts, she was rich; the light blue silk threaded by the finest of mills. The scent of the fabric matched a town not in this area, nor this state. Her frame stood only a handful of inches below Alec's, and her pearl ivory complexion held a slim face with full lips and a slender nose. Her age could not have been more than twenty. Her eyes were colored ebony, the sign of a meal not yet found. Oh, but something stirred in her eyes. Desire. Not for the spill of blood, but for Alecsander._

 _"May I ask who 'he' is? For I only see you," the woman spoke silkily. The threat bypassed her entirely, by the stretch of her pale red lips to reveal her pearly teeth._

 _"I run short on patience,_ cara _," spoke Alec as he gazed upon her fluid figure and released his silent fog. "I'm afraid your swaying lust does not sway me from my duties. I asked you a simple question. Now where is my answer? Are you traveling with the newborn?" He stepped toward her slowly, enjoying his game. Alecsander held no mercy since his awakening for revenge on humans. The woman's smile faded as her vision became nothing. Her helpless dark irises moved in their sockets quickly in search of it. Unnecessary breaths moved out of her mouth. I took a whiff of her scent to remember it. The warmth of vanilla and sweet orange blossoms wafted their way into my nose just as Alec's satisfying smile appeared, stopping two feet from the woman._

 _"I know nothing of a newborn. I am a traveler from New York. My name is Camilla Anderson," the woman spoke. "I speak the truth! I have left my former love in exchange of my life."_

 _"Human? Vampire?" Alec asked in a dull manner. At that moment, Jane's cooling lavender passed my nose. She wanted to go home. The newborn was finished. She floated past my dwelling figure and paused to observe her adoring brother's work. Her identical smile ghosted upon her pale rose lips._

 _The woman, Camilla, paused before her answer._

 _"He is an immortal, but he has done no harm!" she defended. Alec, in return, gave an unknown smile. He was entering the tease. His endless game of the flirt and sarcasm began._

 _"How unfortunate," he answered flirtatiously, gazing once more toward her lips. Sarcasm: "I can only pray you weren't wed beforehand."_

 _Camilla obliged; she knew the game, for she played it, too. Her smile revived, forthcoming her answer. Jane's hiss came forth; I held her tiny figure back from attacking the woman._

 _"He's just in play," I reminded her sweetly in my lowest volume, God forbid she unleash her own gift upon me._

 _"I only pray you will release me...however you choose to format that sentence is yours," was Camilla's attracting reply._

"So, Felix," Demetri cut in challengingly, bringing me out of the reverie, apparently returning. Of course he could hear the whole story from the kitchen. "How much are we to bet, hm? Thirty years? Forty?" He sauntered over, tray in hand. There was a bowl with steam coming from it, probably soup.

"200 years," Felix replied confidently and swiftly.

"200 years?" Demetri exclaimed, his eyes bugging out. "You're not serious, mate!" He put the tray down on the table in front of us, but apparently too hard, because it broke into pieces. Parts of plastic flipped in the air before landing on the floor. The soup bowl tumbled over with the glass of orange juice, creating an orange-y chicken noodle concoction across the table.

For some inner delighted reason, his sentence made me smile despite the flirting I heard from Felix's story. He was right; it was sultry and I was uncomfortable.

"This is the most eloquent fun we're going to have for a while," Felix shrugged, unfazed by the mess. "Might as well pick my battles. When will Camilla ever have competition again? On our laws, _she's_ Alec's property." Felix pointed at me for a second. "She's going to be here forever. The next time, we'll bet on Jane. So, 200 years, or I'll increase it. Take your pick." He finished smugly with a proud smile.

I let them make their bet about whatever it was while I tended to my somersaulting stomach. It was obvious what happened when Felix's story ended: everything Demetri was emphasizing before he left. Broken headboards and ripped sheets and whatever else vampires did in their version of sex. That shouldn't be any of my business, but Alec didn't like me, and he didn't have to. If he was so interested in her back then, why does he seem so disinterested in her now, according to Felix and Demetri? Why was this story even important, anyway? Why is being his singer so important (and so funny) to everyone (except Jane)?

 _'Cause he likes you and you like him, too._

Shut up. I knew the first part couldn't be true.

I also knew there was much more to dive into, much more to be explained, but I didn't want to visit this anymore. I didn't want to think about how Camilla had her hands and lips and whatever else all over him, or about how many years they'd been doing it. Alec was a grown up, so to speak. Grown ups can do whatever they want. Just because I thought he was attractive didn't mean the feeling would last.

 _Oh yeah, that's a good one._

Before I could answer my conscience, Demetri growled, knocking my attention once again. A painful look crossed his face. He seemed uncertain until he showed a smug smile of his own on his own beautiful face.

"If I win, you have to get rid of that dreaded karaoke machine."

"Why?" Felix roared with horror, and I'm pretty sure the floor shook, along with the DVD rack and the TV. "Was it that prank I pulled on you thirty six years ago? Oh come now, it was a joke! You knew blood oranges didn't have blood in them!"

"Please, I don't hold grudges for that long," Demetri scoffed, folding his arms. "It was the day you bought the bloody thing! You sang _every single_ Taylor Swift song ova' _nine hundred times_! _Each!_ " Every time he emphasized words, his accent, and the sentence, got heavier.

"At least I have use for it now!" Felix dramatically motioned to me. "Someone who can actually sing! You're off using your fancy cold-pressed hair pomade from the _Bahamas_ when you don't even go anywhere! Heidi is the only one who ever sees your hair!"

I couldn't help but laugh at that one. They may be old, but they were almost funnier than Travis and David fighting.

I stopped. Travis and David. That's exactly who they looked like right now.

The thought turned me sad. My brother. Where was he? What if he was at home right now telling my mom I was dead? Funeral arrangements, my mom crying, Travis holding her, another person lost...God, I can't imagine. I didn't want to. It was the ultimate suffering. If I hadn't gone after David in the first place...

I wasn't the only one being worried about, either. The news could have spread that both me and David were dead. My brother not only lost me, but his best friend. And what about David's mom? Would the news even reach her? Working late nights at Denny's almost every night, he didn't really see her. But he loved her. He tried his best to be there and take care of his mom; be the man of the house because his dad left. But now what? What are their lives going to become? It wasn't right; none of this was right.

"...just get another tray, I will do it. Human. Hello," I distantly heard Felix and felt myself being shaken. Confusedly, I looked to him and snapped out of my thoughts. "Start breathing, little woman."

"Nice work giving her the _drowsy_ medicine," I heard Demetri even farther away sarcastically. A door shut. When I realized Felix's words, I blew out air that I apparently held in and breathed again.

"You were thinking about Camilla," Felix stated, taking his hands off me. I glanced at the table where the mess used to be. It looked like there never was one in the first place.

"No," was all I said, because I didn't know what was worse to think about: a clingy vampire who would probably kill me on sight or my brother and my mom thinking I was dead.

"This way," he told me, standing up in all his seriousness again. "You need rest. Demetri is bringing you more soup."

I did what he said and followed him, finally feeling the drowsiness from the medicine kick in.

"Next time I'll read the label," he added, noticing my steps. He put his hand between my shoulder blades for support. The only thing I felt was the frosty iciness of it; it was like opening the freezer and letting all the fog out.

But besides that, I couldn't help but ask all the juicy questions.

"So if Alec was so into her then...why'd you guys make it look like he isn't now? He sounds like he doesn't even want her to come," I pointed out drowsily, going down the stairs. I had to get my mind off the former subject.

"I think you've heard enough stories for today, little woman," he answered. "But if you really want to know...he _doesn't_. Alec sticks to no one woman, but this is the longest time that he has been with an immortal woman. He only began sporting this behavior..." He paused as we reached the end of the stairs. "Recently."

"Recently as in, when I got here?" I looked up at his wide, tall frame of six feet and seven inches. "Does that have anything to do with my 'singing' blood?"

He opened the door to the hall my room (and Alec and Jane's. And Demetri's) was in. I wasn't sure if I could expect him to laugh at this moment, but he didn't.

"That and much more," he said seriously. "That's enough for now. Into bed." He pointed toward my door, and my butt tingled at his answer. My feelings were right...there was much more to dive into, much more to be known. Making my way to my door, the tingles brought up my other feelings. Felix had to know the answer to this one. If he didn't, who did?

"Where is David?" I asked. "I want to know."

"With Aro," he answered. My head whipped in his direction. Aro and David in the same room? No. Why would he need that, anyway? David didn't even do anything. Well, except call Aro out with a bunch of expletive names, but he had to listen now, right? I was pretending as it was so that Aro would believe me and David and I could find a way to escape. Okay, I needed to calm down. All the stories have me hyped up.

"He's fine," he added, waving it off. "Now go into bed. When you get better..." He raised both brows this time, and I knew that look. More training. I just nodded in response because I was too tired to do anything else, opened the bedroom door, and got into bed. Before Felix walked away, just one more thing came to the front of my mind. Something I forgot all about until now.

"Felix," I called, even though I didn't have to; I could have barely whispered or mumbled and he would hear me. His face turned toward me, but I couldn't tell what he was thinking. I just saw age-old wisdom and years of "fun" killing.

"What about you?" I asked him, tapping the tiny scrapes on my legs. Whether he knew I didn't mean to break my promise or not, there wasn't anything I could do about Aro seeing everything now. I didn't know what would happen to Felix, and I didn't want anything to, despite the fact that he was the servant of a demented vampire who was Norman Bates-ing us like no other. David was already doomed because of me; Felix shouldn't be, either. But to make matters worse, he didn't answer my question. He only chuckled, gestured with both his index fingers point away from his shoulders, and said,

"Angel wings."

Then he was gone, and Demetri came in with my soup, striding confidently as always.

"How was story time, love? Did you find anything particularly...ravishing about it?" He taunted me, setting the tray in front of me. Brand new bowl, soup, tray, glass, everything.

"Yeah," I replied, picking up the spoon since he never specified which story. "You should use less Bahama pomade and you won't smell like coconut so much." He growled before replying.

"You are incredibly immature," he commented disgustedly. I blew on my spoonful of chicken soup, which I thanked heaven wasn't from a can, and ate it. With all the spinning history right now, I could use some immaturity in my life. But what came next out of his mouth left me thinking.

"Use that on Camilla, love," he started amusedly, and picked up my free hand. It got my attention, and I met his charming, glistening red eyes. If Alec didn't exist, I knew I would be crushing on Demetri. "For you are also incredibly sharp for a human." He pressed his cold, rock hard lips to the back of my hand and was gone with his cool breeze of coconut.

So he wanted me to pick a fight with her? Call her names, pick on her? I couldn't even do that.

But maybe it wasn't that he wanted me to do that. Call her names, call her out, pick on her.

I took that moment to find pieces that stuck together. The story, Felix's words, and even Alec's actions.

 _Did you miss the part where Aro said you were Alec's singer?_

 _He didn't have to pretend to be my boyfriend, but he did._

 _How unfortunate...I can only pray you two weren't wed beforehand._

 _How so very human of you. I can't wait to see what Aro sees in your pitiful mind._

 _I will not allow anyone to get within a reasonable distance of me or of you, so don't worry yourself, sweetheart._

 _On our laws,_ she's _Alec's property._

 _A vampire and a singer are more powerfully polarized than super glue._

With all of the images, actions, behaviors, words, and stories, I had one piece of information put together. Demetri didn't want me to ridicule her. They didn't just want to show me off.

They wanted me to mark my territory, because Alec already had.

 **OKAY, I'M SORRY, GOSH! I know it's been so so long since I've written, and I'm sorry. I had college and other important things going on. But that doesn't mean I didn't write little by little, 'cause I did! I also had to get ideas because I honestly couldn't figure out what Camilla and Alec's history would be. Thanks to Matt for helping me figure it out! And also, I've been trying to keep everything that's happened in my memory so far, because this is written so scatteredly. I sometimes have to go back so that I don't mess anything up. So thank you to all my followers/favoriters for being so patient with me! :D I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **Hey, hey, no throwing! Again with the dodgeballs, really? Okay okay, OKAY! Question time, and I want your answers in your reviews:**

 **-What do you think of Camilla? Regina George or nah?**

 **-I just wanted to remind everyone again that the main character doesn't know that she's Alec's mate yet. I'm making it that way for a reason. Just incase you guys think I'm stupid.**

 **-What's gonna happen when Alec comes back and Cheyenne has to show Aro EVERYTHING she and Felix have been doing? *GASP* We don't even know why Felix is doing it! Well, except me. Heh. xD**

 **-Also, another question that I really want answered: Would you guys like to see another performance from Cheyenne? Say, in an undercover reasoning? I mean, she can't stay stuffed up in the castle 24/7. Whaddya think? Undercover? Singing? Eh? Eh?**

 **Again, I'm sorry for taking so long. If you review, Demetri will kiss your hand and whisk you away like Cinderella! :D (I mean, if he's your favorite)**

 **AAAAAND BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! I will be putting out a new cover for this story! :D with the help of my makeup skillz and idea skillz, I have come up with a nice little cover for you guys to enjoy. (Plus, I'm older now, so...pretty sure that needs an update too lol)**


	19. Author's Note (I Know, I Know)

HELLO EVERYONE! I'm sorry I haven't been writing. I've actually been thinking about...not writing it anymore...? I know you're all probably upset about that fact, but I said I've been thinking about it, not going through with it, so there's still a chance that I may continue with it. But in light of this, I've given you all the book cover I mentioned in my last chapter, which *is* written up right now. Just haven't finished it yet. I'm kinda losing ideas, so if there's anything you guys maybe wanna see happen in the story, please let me know in a review and I can try to fit it in! I hope you enjoy what Cheyenne looks like as a vampire xD I took the pic today and changed my eye color xD but thank you for all the new favoriters and followers for my story! You're probably mad that this isn't a chapter, but isn't it comforting to know that one is almost wholly written? xD Anyway, thank you for reading this and please bear with me! And I also have other photos of the look I did (which was Jane's makeup, but still, it's close enough to what my character would look like as a vamp. It's not perfect, but I did try.). If you want to see them, I'll put them in links in my profile. :D

Sincerely,

IsaydenGirl16


	20. Breaking Point

**CPOV**

When I woke up, my room was dark. How long have I even been sleeping? I rubbed my eyes to wake myself up, and before I could check the time, my bladder made a move first. It was all that chicken soup and orange juice I had. I fell right asleep after finishing all of it. Groggily, I climbed out of bed and blindly walked into the bathroom. I turned the light on, which seemed way too bright at the moment, and closed the door. As I sat down on the seat, I let my brain wake itself up. Whatever time it was, I was sure I wasn't going to be sleeping again for a while. The medicine Felix gave me completely wore off. I sleepily chuckled at what Demetri told him about giving me the drowsy medicine earlier and sniffled.

I finished in the bathroom and turned the light off, returning to my bed. I rubbed my eyes once more, and I must have veered wayward, because my toe bumped into the bed frame's corner. I dropped my hands, clenched my jaw and shut my eyes tight. I bent my toes as if I were popping them. If I wasn't in pain right now, I think I'd be laughing at myself.

"God dang it," I muttered while the broken toe feeling passed. Should've turned on the light.

"Dudette? You all right?" A voice I hadn't heard in so long sounded from beside me, and the lamp beside my bed came on. My ears and brain perked up at the sound, and I turned my head toward it. Or him. Sitting right by my bedside.

 _David?_

"David," I said, shocked. I completely forgot about the fact that anyone could be in here watching me sleep. "What are you doing in here?"

He looked the same. Beautiful, dark golden hair, red eyes, flawless pale complexion, defined cheekbones, full lips. He was even sitting in his chair the same way he always did as a human, except straighter. The only thing different was his clothing. He wasn't wearing his clothes from the first day we came here, because he was the last time I saw him. He had dark wash jeans on with a black and grey Raglan **sweater (A/N: A link of that's in my profile for you to see :D)** and its sleeves pushed up to his elbows. On his feet were the same Converse, though. He'd never give those things up, and if he was still human, Doritos would still be on that list, too. I could tell it was all the work of Aro. He's pushing the dark colors on both of us.

"Aro finally decided I was chill enough to see you," he said, hinting on a scoff and standing with his arms halfway up. He grinned with his perfect white teeth that stuck out in the warm glow of the room. I don't think I never noticed how nice his smile was until now; and by that, I mean when he was human. "What, no hug?"

I broke out in a smile and walked the three steps into his waiting arms. I'd been used to their lack of warmth now, but not as used to David's because he'd been human longer than vampire; in every hug we ever shared, he held warmth. But now as my chin was on his shoulder and my chest was touching his, the lack of his heart beat and warmth made my homesickness come back. Though it did, having him here more so made everything feel okay again. I was grateful to have one remaining piece of my world with me in this. I was even more grateful that Aro was even allowing him to be here right now. I wanted to tell David how much I wanted to go home, to cry, that I missed him and Travis, that Alec was constantly bullying me...

I stopped my inward rant because I heard a weird, soft sound. It sounded like sobbing.

I didn't realize it was me until I heard David trying to get me to stop.

"Please stop crying, dudette," he pleaded quietly into my ear with his new velvety voice. It was smooth and almost musical, but not as musical as Alec's. Alec's was different.

Alec.

Camilla.

The story.

My phone.

Aro.

Travis.

Mom.

Felix.

Training.

Just the thought of Alec was all it took to bring everything else with it and to bring me into the ultimate breakdown. That last ounce of strength I had been trying to hold onto for him and for myself crumbled away and I broke down in deeper sobs, with every emotion washing over me that I tried to hold back. All of the bullying, heartache for my family, the strange feelings for Alec, the bitterness towards Aro...everything just came out in my sobs. So many words came to the fore and I couldn't stop them. I couldn't care less at the moment that every vampire was hearing and would hear what I had to say. I held on far too long and I deserved this release. David's attempts at verbally soothing me were cut off by my spew of words.

"I can't do it anymore. I can't do this anymore, I've tried to be strong, but I just can't. Alec bullies me and treats me like crap, and he shattered my phone, and I never see you and I worry about you all the time and wonder if you're okay, and then there's mom and Travis, and..." My sobs got heavier when I thought about Travis, but I went on. David said nothing; he stood completely still, except for the stone cold hand that brushed lightly on my hair. "I just want to go home. It's all my fault that you're in here and that you're like this, and you'll never see your mom again and everyone thinks we're dead..." I choked completely on the last word and couldn't even finish because I was gasping along with my crying. But before I even finished the word "dead", I felt my feet leave the ground and there was a breeze moving with us. My body was shifted at an angle, and I held onto David's shoulders as I gasped. Not even three seconds later, I was being put down outside of a door. I looked up to him, holding in my crying because I was momentarily confused. He ushered me in quickly while pressing his finger to his lips. His bright red eyes were swirling with anger, pain, sadness, and almost everything else I was feeling at the moment. I did as he said anyway and pushed the door open before entering. Since my brain was so crazy, I forgot this was the soundproofed room where no one would, or could, hear us. I heard the door shut quietly behind me and David's arm around me straight after. He still wasn't speaking, but he led me to the piano where I could sit down. The only seats available were the piano bench and an extra chair David sat in when I first saw him after the transformation.

"Sit down," he said between his teeth as he sat on the piano bench lengthwise. I took the extra seat sluggishly and wiped my tears away with a sniffle, watching my friend. His face was hard, and he was clenching his jaw. His face softened a little when he saw me do that, and helped wipe them away. His tongue, though, was sharp. Not towards me, but towards the situation.

"I _know_ Alec treats you like shit. I hate it. I hear it all the God damn time and I can't do anything about it. If it was up to me, the asshole'd be dead right now. I fucking spoke to Aro about it forever, and he told me 'not to worry, child'. I worry about you all the fucking time, and I told him nobody ever treats you that way, but he just tells me that Alec is taking care of you no matter what. I know about the phone, too. Almost killed him then, but Jane..." he stopped and closed his eyes for a moment as if he was having some sort of pain, and his eyebrows were knitted together. Vampires didn't feel pain except for fire, and I knew Jane continued to use her gift on him. I reached out and covered his hand with mine. I didn't like that Jane did it, but I couldn't do anything about the way he was being treated, either. We were both going through two different storms, and we didn't know how to survive in them.

"I don't know what they've been doing to you, but I want to stop it. I wish I could, and that we could just leave here..." I shook my head as I trailed off. I felt his other icy hand cover mine and his eyes open, the pained look about Jane gone, but he was still angry.

"I know I won't see my mom again. Or Travis. Or the sad sack of a town that we live in. Aro's been busting my ass trying to get me to behave like a Volturi member," he answered like a curse. "Every time I'd cuss, he'd sic Jane on me. But since she's gone with her evil-ass brother, I've been good. Heidi's been dressing me in all kinds of crap, trying to change my style, and I finally just went to Aro and told him I had to see you. I couldn't stand the clothes anymore, it was so fucking annoying," he ranted on. "Then when the news came around that you were going to confess to Aro, I freaked the hell _out_ , dudette. That guy is fucking creepy and the last thing I want is for you to be near him. Are you really gonna do that? Are you really gonna let him see everything you've ever done and thought? 'Cause I don't want that for you. I made a dying promise to your brother a long time ago if anything ever happened to you, I would step in and protect you if he wasn't there. I _want_ to protect you, dudette. I have to. And I'm about to tell you something, and you need to hear it."

"When did you promise him that?" I asked, obviously a little shocked and unaware that he did that. I knew he was my friend and knew me since they became friends in middle school, but...did he...feel differently? His words sounded much more than a friend protecting a friend or a sister protecting a brother, and his eyes were swimming and swirling with promise. Sadness. Worry. Determination.

I apparently wasn't the only one trying to keep a promise.

He averted his eyes for a moment and looked like he was trying to look through some mirror in his mind. Poor David. I told him to forget that question and tell me what he was getting around to. Looking back wasn't important right now.

He blew out unnecessary air through his nose and waited a moment before moving his eyes back up to me.

"You can't switch songs," he said, like a father was telling their child that their pet bunny died. And I knew he was serious, because he used my name. He only uses it when he's dead serious with me. "Don't do it, Cheyenne. You will piss Aro off even more and it'll get both our asses kicked. You will get hurt and I don't know what I would do if I let that happen. I know you're looking at me right now like I'm fucking crazy, but I need you to listen to Aro. We both do. We're going to be here forever. I don't see any way of getting out of here. You...we need to start accepting the obvious."

I knew he wasn't afraid of Alec, but when he told me this, he did seem afraid. Afraid of Aro. Of what he would do if I did this. I couldn't see it in his face, but I could hear it in his voice. He was putting on a serious, brave face for me. He didn't want me to be afraid. He didn't want me to know he was afraid. I did think he was a little crazy for telling me to actually listen to Aro, and...

Huh? Wait. Did he just...

No, David. No. Don't give up on me.

"But...we-" I started, but he kept the same somber expression and reached his hand out to brush his hand against my cheek. The melting honey smell was floating all around me, but it wasn't helping because I wasn't letting it. I was slightly panicking on the inside. David was giving up, when he was more determined than me on getting us out of here. He was so determined on showing Aro what we were made of with this plan. He'd been more excited about it than I, and now he was telling me to bail on it.

"I can't let you get hurt," he said sharply, but not angrily. There was something in his eyes that begged me to listen, to understand. He'd probably seen and known things that I hadn't, because he was the one getting all the treatment from Aro. He was the one getting made to behave. "You need to follow my order. Don't do it. Okay? You're the only one I have that's not a fucking stranger. I won't see my best friend that I've known for almost ten years ever again, or my mom. We won't have that lucky chance we had to become big and ride all around the fucking world. I won't eat Doritos ever again because they're damn disgusting now. I won't be able to look after my mom, and you won't be able to see Travis. We both won't." He leaned forward to me, clasped hand and all, with the biggest struggle swimming in his bright red eyes. I could almost see the blood moving in them, and I could see all of the long, dark gold lashes lining his eyes.

"I won't have anybody else in this world from now on but you, and I don't want to live 500 years down the road and live with the fact that I lost you and broke a fucking promise!"

I teared up when he got to the Doritos part, but I was crying again at his last sentence. I didn't know what I was feeling. I didn't want him to give up. I didn't want to believe that we'd be stuck here forever because I still had hope, but with his tone, words, and glistening eyes, I was questioning my own belief of whether we really had a chance or not. David had his head hanging now, and he was making these strange choking noises. His shoulders were shaking as if he were crying. As I watched him, my own cries grew. Watching and realizing a vampire's version of crying was more painful to watch than what he just told me. He hated the fact that he couldn't cry, and I didn't know how much he'd been toiling for me all this time.

"I'm just fucking sick and tired of this shit, dudette," he said in a strangled voice. I almost didn't hear it because it was so strained. I couldn't think of anything else to do but put my arms around him and cry into his rock hard shoulder. He stiffened at the action, but relaxed a few seconds later before hugging me back. He didn't speak. I couldn't think about the thought of giving up. I didn't want to. I wanted to find a way out of this place. Despite my constant thinking that I would never see my family again sometimes, I still had a small part in the back of my mind that believed there was some way out. If only I could make that work with my current plan. David told me not to do it, and I understood where he was coming from. I understood that he didn't want me to get hurt or die. But if I believed there was a way out, I had to at least try. I didn't want to let a man who played God stop me. Wasn't it always that hope is the only thing stronger than fear? That love conquers all? That you fight for the people you love?

Those thoughts sparked something deep inside me. Not anger. Not revenge. Not pride.

Strength.

Strength that I thought I had lost.

Strength that made me feel warm and hopeful. Strength that let me believe again that there had to be some way out. Strength that told me to hold on a little longer.

Strength that I believe was built from all of Alec's bullying and my shattered emotions.

I couldn't know there wasn't a way until I tried.

I loved David like my own brother. I loved Travis. I loved making music with them. I loved singing and immersing myself into a song and getting so lost in it that I lost all my troubles. I loved having all of the Guitar Hero Modes with David on stage. I loved performing with them. I loved how far we've come in our music world. I loved my father, even though he was gone, and I know he wouldn't want me to stop trying. I loved my life, despite what was happening now, because I had things to fight for. If this was a homework assignment, my dad would be telling me to finish it. Try again. Try harder. Read the book. All of the answers are in the book.

I had family to fight for. Family I loved.

And I couldn't let that go. I couldn't lose that, too. I couldn't lose David to Aro. I couldn't let him take away the goofy guy I knew. I couldn't just let us be dragged away from our lives forever.

I had to try. And I was going to. This was my homework assignment, and I was going to finish it. I was going to try again, try harder.

But I wasn't going to tell David.

My tears were gone, and I realized I stopped crying throughout my little self-talk and wiped my wet cheeks. I heard David mutter something, but I couldn't hear what it was; it was too low for me to hear. I moved out of the embrace and sat in my own chair. I saw David blow out air and close his eyes briefly.

"Man, it's really hard to do that," he said, more to himself. He looked like he was concentrating on something before opening his eyes again.

"Oh," I realized. I must have smelled good to him. I forgot about that. I scooted my chair back from him, but it probably didn't help any. "Sorry."

"If I didn't care about you so much, I'd be drinking out of you right now," he said, swallowing after. "It's still hard for me. You wouldn't believe how you smell to me right now."

I decide to change the subject and maybe get him on a lighter note. After all, who knew how long it would be until I saw him again?

"I won't switch songs. I'll do the one Aro gave to me," I said quietly, taking interest in the floor. I hated lying to him, and I took note of his possible danger in me going against his word. If I did this, Aro could possibly kill David. And me. Or kill me and make David watch. Or kill David and make me watch. I knew those were all possibilities, but the ball was a week away. I had one week to come up with a safety plan following my rebellion.

Maybe Felix's training had a purpose, after all.

 _"Efficiency is key," he said sternly. "You'll have to know how to fight no matter what. I'm going to teach you to turn your whole body into a weapon."_

Remembering Felix's words made me look forward to training for the first time. If I was a vampire by the time after I got in trouble, I would be able to get away. Possibly. But, human or vampire, I was going to pay even more attention to what Felix was teaching me.

I was going to need it.

I felt David's cool hand lift my chin up, then; when I saw his face, I couldn't read it. He was just watching me; moving his eyes over my face. It reminded me a lot of when he told me to relax while we were practicing in the hotel room. Right then, I didn't see crimson eyes, perfect features, silky hair, or upgraded clothes; I saw David. His light brown eyes, his light brown/dirty blonde hair that had barely started to flop in his eyes. Just one zit on his cheek, a slight tan on his skin, a slim face, a goofy grin. His brownish-orange T-shirt and faded jeans. His less defined (and less bulky) figure. His thin, slightly pink lips. My friend.

"Thanks, dudette," he smiled sadly. "I'm sorry I got us into this shit."

"I never blamed you," I said sincerely, shaking my head. "You're my friend. You didn't do anything wrong. You were just scoping out the ladies at the same time Heidi was scoping out for food." I tried to joke.

I held back the urge to tell him that there was a reason we were still here, that we didn't die, because I believed it. If we weren't going to see our families again, we would be dead now. That was another component driving me to try to escape. Of course I would include David in my plan, but without him knowing. I had to make a plan for the both of us. I didn't want him to worry about me any more than he already was. He was already struggling with being a vampire, and that alone was probably the biggest challenge in anyone's life. Between trying so hard to take care of his mom and live without a dad and then leave all of that just to make music with me and my brother...he quite deserved to be freer than I. His carefree, goofy, yet loving and determined mind didn't deserve to be tainted with what Aro was doing to him or trying to teach him. He and Travis were always protecting me. They were always letting me make the decisions and go over things with me first, and now, this time, I decided, was a chance for me to give back. It was my turn to protect him. I would endure all of Alec's bullying, Aro's twisted ways, Jane's hatred, Heidi's closet raiding, and Felix's training for him. Although it scared me to be doing this alone and in secret, I knew I had to do it.

For the first time in what seemed like forever, he laughed. It sounded smooth, velvety, and musical like everyone else's, and lit up his otherwise pale face, if only for a second. I was happy to see him laugh.

"I had to get one lay in, or at least a date," he complied, but his laughter died as he continued. "I'm only young once. But, like that matters now. I'm young forever."

"You could still find someone," I offered, trying to keep his mood up. "Unless you're aiming to be a bachelor forever."

His lips moved into a hard line.

"I don't have much of a choice now, dudette," he said as if he really didn't, moving his eyes to the piano keys. "I mean, Heidi fucks Demetri, and Chelsea looks at me like she wants to fuck me into next year, and then Jane...Jane is Jane." He said a little harshly until the mention of Jane. At Jane, he softened.

"Chelsea, the blonde?" I asked, remembering her persnickety grin before I left the throne room one day. I didn't trust her (then again, I trusted none of the Volturi. The only one I trusted the most right now was Felix and partly Demetri). I never got to find out what her gift was, but if she was taking a liking to David, she must be around him a lot, and not just for sentimental reasons.

"You met her? What did she do to you?" he demanded, whipping his head quickly at me. His dark golden brows were knitted together and his eyes were partly widened.

"Nothing," I explained. "I was introduced, but we didn't talk to each other. Does she have a gift?"

"Fuck, I don't know," David whispered, averting his eyes to think about it. "She's always following me around like a puppy, though. Making sick-ass suggestions at me."

I made a mental note to ask Felix or anyone else in the castle what her gift was. I knew Aro was teaching him to behave, but it didn't sound complete. There was something else going on here, and I wanted to know what. But whatever her gift was, it wouldn't work on me, nor would anyone else's. I was the only one at an advantage. I decided to change the subject. Again. Because I just remembered something.

"Why didn't you say anything when I got up to pee?" I asked, jokingly kicking his knee with little force to save myself a broken foot. He looked at me like it was obvious as to why and that I should know why.

"Dudette," he said. "I could _hear_ the pee moving around in your bladder. For the nine hours I watched you sleep. I think you deserved to get that out of the way first."

It didn't get around to me until just now to think that it was strange that he watched me sleep and probably could until I was no longer human. It was already creepy that Alec got to watch me sleep.

"Nine hours?" I asked incredulously. "When did you even come in my room?"

"Around an hour after you fell into your chicken soup coma," he grinned. "I was waiting for you to snore, but damn, you slept like a fucking princess or something."

So I slept for ten hours, and he watched me for nine. That's the most sleep I've gotten since I've been here. No wonder I was feeling well-rested; Alec wasn't here to wake me up.

"Thank Felix," I said. "He gave me drowsy medicine. I'll probably be awake for the whole entire day." I took note of the piano and figured it might be a good time to practice since I wasn't feeling tired at all. I hadn't been practicing for three days now because of the slowly growing symptoms. I had to keep up the practice for Aro, and the appearance.

"Dudette, it's like almost four in the morning," he said, which didn't really surprise me, and I shrugged.

"I'm not tired," I said. "Plus, I need to practice. It's been three days, at least. Aro would want me to."

"Fine, but I'm staying," he said seriously as he got up from the piano bench for me to take a seat, and I did. "I'm not letting you go back to _Ass_ -lec alone." He hissed his name, and I snickered at the name a little as I started to play. I was actually glad that he was doing that; if I went alone, I would probably face whatever Alec had coming next much more harshly. But then again, David would probably start a fight with Alec, which wouldn't be good. Speaking of fights...

"Are you stronger than Alec or are you all the same?" I asked over my quiet random ballad; I didn't even know what I was playing. I just needed to get my hands on the keys. In half a second, David was leaning against the piano next to me and scoffed.

"Please, I'm gonna be stronger than him for three fucking months," he said as if it was nothing. "Aro told me I'm the strongest one, for now. Apparently we're the strongest in the first three months of this whole...whatever you call it. I could break his head off in seconds, if I could."

He grew softer at what he said next, however.

"I have to be careful around you, though. If I even barely touch you the wrong way, you'll die. Weird, huh?"

I didn't want to think about that or him killing Alec, not between what I learned about him and Camilla. That was hard enough to process. Yeah, Alec was giving me a hard time, but I didn't want him to die. He was mad at me for something I couldn't control and didn't even know I was born with. That, and whatever haunted him in his past. One part still wanted to leave that alone because it was none of my business, but the other just wanted to know what it was and why it angered him so much.

"I don't think you will," I answered, shaking my head. I decided to play something I actually knew and, shockingly, my fingers started to play a song from Ocarina of Time. My brother would always play the background part of the Song of Storms while I played the melody. It was both sad and nostalgic. "Even if you were as huge as Felix, I would still trust you."

He was gone from the piano and on the bench beside me now, slinging **(A/N: You know, in oh-so-gentle vampire fashion xD not actual slinging like someone would sling mud at you)** his cold, marble hard arm around my shoulders carefully, close to my neck; something he always did as a human when he was happy. It felt like a statue putting its arm around you, and it was freezing the back of my neck, but I didn't mind.

"Thanks, dudette," he said with a big smile. "At least someone treats me like a human being here."

I looked at him and fused my own brows together for once, my fingers coming to a halt. I would always treat him that way. Vampires were people to me, as I said to Felix upon my arrival. He was the same to me; he just looked different and could do different things now. He didn't deserve to be treated any different. Even vampires acted human, sometimes. Felix with the karaoke, Demetri and his hair pomade, Alec pretending to be my boyfriend...

Ugh.

"You should be, you're not any different," I said "You're still funny, you still joke, you love music, you care about the same people, you have the same feelings...you just look different and don't need to eat anymore. That's the only thing different. You still have everything you did in here." I poked his hard, newly sinewy chest where his heart should've been beating. As I met his bright red eyes, I took in his expression on his beautiful, almost diamond-faceted face. If he could cry, I knew he'd be doing it now. He also looked a little bit shocked, sad, and...passionate? God, I hoped that was the wrong word.

"What, my cold, dead heart?" he turned to a joke with a half smile. He hated being serious. I decided to chuckle with him and get away from the heavy.

"It's still a heart," I shrugged and looked back at the piano. "I think we need to just belt it."

"Fuck yeah, we do," he agreed eagerly. "Start me up something."

"Okay," I answered, and something hilarious immediately came to my mind. A personal joke of sorts. Trying to hold back a smile, I immediately started singing with the tune I played. " _I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world. Life in plastic_ -"

"Oh, _fuck_ no," he complained and removed his arm from around me as I started to laugh. He started to also, thankfully. "No way, you know I hate that song, dudette!"

"It made you laugh though," I laughed, stopping after he complained. He smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, but it's way too fucking girly," he commented. "Give me something hard."

I knew what he meant by that. He wanted a heavy song, even though all we had was this piano. He wanted some heavy lyrics and heavy meaning, and heavy everything to get the angst out. And I knew just what would do that.

"So, like this?" I asked, playing the song, making sure to press the pedal that elongated the notes. He heard it and immediately started nodding his head.

"Oh, yeah," he said, getting into it. "Give me the first verse."

I nodded and prepared myself to do so. This is exactly what we needed, to belt a good song out together and get lost in some music for a while. And belt, we did.

 **(A/N: All right, folks, I present to you the acoustic version of Diary of Jane by the lovely Breaking Benjamin :D if you don't know who they are and ya want to get your teen angst out, check them out. This was the only acoustic song I know of theirs, so I chose it. Plus, if you didn't notice the name in it..hehehe. The words sung in it don't start out the exact same as the original version, so that's why the beginning lyrics are from the chorus. Italics is Cheyenne, bold is David, and both combined is harmonization. Enjoy!)**

 _Something's getting in the way_

 _Something's just about to break_

 _I will try to find my place in the diary of Jane_

 _So tell me how it should be_

 _If I had to, I would put myself right beside you_

 _So let me ask, Would you like that?_ _ **Would you like that?**_

 _And I don't mind if you say this love is the last time_

 _So now I'll ask,_ _ **do you like that? Do you like that?**_

 _ **Something's getting in the way**_

 _ **Something's just about to break**_

 _ **I will try to find my place in the diary of Jane**_

 _ **So tell me how it should be**_

As loud as we were belting it, I was glad no one could hear us. I was getting lost in it immediately, all of my problems melting away into the crescendoing piano. There was no Alec, no Aro, Jane, or Felix or Demetri, or castle. There was just me and my best friend, jamming out like old times, harmonizing and listening to each other. And almost head banging, into the drowning piano music. It filled the room, and it was all I could hear. Just our two voices and the piano. I was in a place that I've been wanting to be in for a while; my own world. The feelings I felt when I performed; happy, electric, on top of the word, carefree, thankful. David's voice didn't have that half-rasping sound from when he tried to sing really loud as a human anymore; when he sang a softer song or a pop song as a human, it sounded clear, but only when he went to the hard rock songs did it rasp just a little. He didn't have that anymore; it was just as clear, smooth, and melodic as his human voice. He didn't have to try at all to get in the high range like Ben **did (A/N: the lead singer for BB xD and if you want to know what David's voice sounds like in my mind, listen to the lead singer of My Darkest Days)**. It flowed just as easily as my voice. Dare I say it, he actually sounded like a human angel. My voice got more warmed up, and that made me get even more lost.

 _Try to find out what makes you tick as I lie down_

 _Sore and sick,_ _ **do you like that? Do you like that?**_

 _And I don't mind if you say this love is the last time_

 _Just let me say that_ _ **I like that, I like that**_

 _ **Something's getting in the way**_

 _ **Something's just about to break**_

 _ **I will try to find my place in the diary of Jane**_

 _ **As I burn another page, as I look the other way**_

 _ **I still try to find my place in the diary of Jane**_

 _ **So tell me how it should be**_

 _ **Desperate, I will crawl**_

 _ **Waiting for so long**_

 _ **No love, there's no love**_

 _ **Die for anyone**_

 _ **What have I become?**_

 _ **Something's getting in the way**_

 _ **Something's just about to break**_

 _I will try to find my place in_ _ **the diary of Jane**_

 _ **As I burn another page, as I look the other way**_

 _I still try to find my place in the_ _ **diary of Jane**_

 _ **Oooooooooh**_

I ended with the last notes on a music high. I wanted to sing again. No, I needed to sing again. It had been so long since I had, and I wanted to melt my stress away for as long as I could. I slid my eyes to my best friend and, just with that, I saw that same need reflected in his face.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, dudette?" he asked, not out of breath like he would be if he were human. He sounded like he hadn't even sang just now. I gave him a big smile of my own and nodded.

"Yeah," I agreed. "Jam session."

"Fuck yeah!" He exclaimed with a grin and a high five (which I had to return, otherwise he would've broken my hand). "Let's blow the roof off this bitch!"

I snickered, and told him he could pick the next song. He thought for a minute, and then put his fingers slowly on the keys.

"How about..." he said lowly, barely having to press down on them to play, and started to sing a song by a band I hadn't heard in a really long time. I let him sing the first few lines before joining in, and we belted out again.

 **(A/N: I now present to you Like Nobody Else by My Darkest Days, because it came up on my iTunes and I was like HEEEEEY. If you haven't listened to them, GO. EXPLORE. They're lovely. Same as before, italics is Cheyenne, bold David, yada yada.)**

 **September seventh and she's heading for school**

 **She'll probably leave me for some college fool**

 **And I know that's just the way it goes**

 **In front of your place under the street light**

 **Face to face on our last night, you should know**

 **One thing before you go**

 **I tell her**

 _ **We've gone too far to give up now**_

 _ **And like a bomb, it all comes out**_

 _ **She looks at me like nobody else**_

 _ **Like nobody's ever done**_

 _ **She makes me feel like nobody else**_

 _ **Like nobody's ever done**_

I let him play this song because he chose it, and I didn't want to take the piano away from him. I let him sing the second verse before joining the chorus again. I was curious as to why he picked this song, but I was too lost and nostalgic to wonder any further. The melody of the song captured me and made me continue to forget all my problems _._

 **By the twenty-seventh, she's been gone for weeks**

 **I'm terrified she won't remember me**

 **And I know that's just the way it goes**

 **I stare at her picture stuck up on the fridge**

 **Face to face with the one I miss**

 **I'm alone**

 **And reaching for the phone**

 **To tell her**

 _ **We've gone too far to give up now**_

 _ **And like a bomb, it all comes out**_

 _ **She looks at me like nobody else**_

 _ **Like nobody's ever done**_

 _ **She makes me feel like nobody else**_

 _ **Like nobody's ever done**_

 _ **And I wanna make her feel like nobody else**_

 _ **Like nobody's ever done**_

 _ **And I wanna make her feel like nobody else**_

 _ **Like nobody's ever done**_

 **Back from the city, standing in the rain**

 **Asked her if she'd be going back again**

 **She said no, this time I'm staying home**

 _ **She looks at me like nobody else**_

 _ **Like nobody's ever done**_

 _ **She makes me feel like nobody else**_

 _ **Like nobody's ever done**_

 _ **And I wanna make her feel like nobody else**_

 _ **Like nobody's ever done**_

 _ **And I wanna make her feel like nobody else**_

 _ **Like nobody's ever done**_

 _ **Like nobody I**_

 _ **Like nobody I**_

 _ **Love somebody like**_

 _ **Like nobody else**_

 _ **Like nobody I**_

 _ **Like nobody I**_

 _ **Love somebody like**_

 _ **Like nobody else**_

The last notes were played, and I nodded my head until the end. On an amplified music high, I looked at my friend again. He looked at me, too, and gave a tight smile.

"You should practice the real song now," he said quietly. "I need to tell Aro you practiced it. I'll be outside the door. Come out when you're done."

Without any chance for me to even gather what happened, he was gone, leaving only his scent of melting honey and sunshine behind. I had no time to question why he was suddenly aloof and looked so sullen. He was right, though. Maybe I should practice. He probably had to go, soon. Plus, I didn't know when Alec would be back. With that, I tried to forget my questions and picked up the sheet music for the Bonnie Raitt song off of the shiny black top of the piano and opened it.

xXx

I practiced the song enough times for it to be considered hard work, and when I asked David was time it was, I still wasn't all that surprised.

"It's seven now," he answered as we walked together up the stairwell to the floor above, but practically ground out the next sentence. "Aro wants us to be in the throne room. _Ass_ -lec's back." I think I heard him curse under his breath after it, and my heart began to speed up at his last sentence. But I remembered the promise I made to myself about enduring everything to get David and I out of here. By now, I pretty much expected Alec to be mean to me, but that wasn't what was making my heart go pitter-patter. It was the remembrance of the story Felix told me about Alec and Camilla. It was going to be tense knowing that I knew the story and that Alec wouldn't know that I knew. Unless Felix and Demetri happened to tell him that they told me. I hoped not. I felt David's protective arm come around my shoulders like before, and it brought me close to him from the force.

"I won't let him do anything to you," he promised, mistaking the reason behind my palpitations. Since he was so close, I decided to try and take in his scent for comfort, and as I did, I realized something.

My nose was clear. I didn't even feel like I had a cold anymore. No runny nose, no heaviness, no cold shivers, none of that. I felt completely better.

 _Whatever was in that medicine must have been special or something_.

By now, I realized why we were going to the throne room and tried to keep myself calm at that. Lives were on the line right now with the information I had. Felix's. David's. My own. I could only hope and pray that whatever happened, I would still try to get David out and protect him. We reached my room, and David told me to get dressed in different clothes and told me he would be back in a matter of minutes to come get me. I did as he said, and closed by bedroom door behind me before rushing into the closet to find some clothes. As I flicked through the shirts, I noticed and remembered that I was wearing the last normal shirt. Crap. Everything Heidi put in here was in black, red, grey, and even a few whites. Most of it was lacy or partially see-through, which I didn't favor. I quickly looked at all of their designs and chose the one that looked the least revealing and most modest. I yanked a black shirt a lace pattern going all through it off the hanger. The only see through part was the shoulders. **(A/N: the link for the shirt will be in my profile)** I turned to the shelf with all of the pants, ignoring the small rack with dresses and skirts, and took out a pair of regular black denim shorts with three brass buttons on them. Grabbing a random pair of underwear and a (sadly) black bra, I rushed into the bathroom and took a shower as fast as I could. I was lucky enough to not cut myself shaving. I got dressed, left my hair to air dry, and went to my door to meet David. When I did, he was dressed differently, too. A black, short sleeved button down shirt (that looked like a T-shirt) with the collar down, and another pair of dark wash jeans that were lighter colored than the ones he was wearing earlier. **(A/N: You know the drill. It's in my profile)**

"Wow," I heard him say as he checked out what I was wearing. When he got to my feet, he looked back to me and smiled gently. "You forgot shoes, dudette."

I didn't even bothering asking why I had to have shoes on, because I hadn't the whole time I was here besides the day I got here. I just marched back into the closet and shoved my feet into a pair of black flats and came back out, closing the door behind me.

"Let's get this over with," I muttered. He didn't say anything and led me down the stairs on our journey to the throne room. We were silent the whole way, and I had an idea why; if we talked about anything that we had in the sound proof room, Aro would hear and we would definitely be in trouble. I took in the silence and used the time to think of what I would do or say if his gift did work on me. As I thought and thought, I got nothing. I probably wouldn't have anything to say, because I'd be in trouble. I knew the only thing I should be worrying about was whether Alec's word against mine would be heard or seen along with Felix's own secret, but I couldn't. I knew too much and I had too many motives that could be blown at any moment. This could be the moment I was turned, for all I knew, and possibly starved or killed.

I felt something stony and cold squeeze my hand lightly, and looked down to see David's pale, almost white in comparison hand in my own. He'd never held my hand before except for that encounter in the hotel room. I looked up at him with uncertainty and he just looked at me like a brother would look at his scared little sister: determined.

"Stay by me," he ordered quietly. I just nodded and let him hold my hand, because I admittedly needed it and didn't know how much I did until now. My brother wasn't here with me, and I needed someone for this. We were all each other had, and I didn't know what would happen from here. We could be separated forever after this, for all I knew.

 _No, no, don't think about that_ , I told myself. _Think positive, think positive. This could turn out any way. Be calm. Don't let Aro get to you._

 _Right_ , I told myself, mustering up that same strength I found earlier. No matter what happened, there was still a way. I was still alive. We could make it out. We approached the heavy iron doors of the throne room, and David stopped short of them and looked down at me, scanning my face for a moment before putting his hand on the door and meeting my eyes with the same face as before. At that moment, I knew what he was trying to say that he couldn't say out loud: _I got you._

I nodded once, and he looked away, effortlessly pushing the doors open with his hand. When the room came into view, everyone that I expected to be there was there. Marcus and Caius sitting behind Aro, who was standing from his own seat in the same black suit. Felix and Demetri to his far right, Jane and Alec his left. I looked to Felix first, and I couldn't read his face, nor Demetri's, who smirked at me. As we approached Aro, I noticed Chelsea standing farther behind them, smiling devilishly at David, and then her burgundy eyes moved to me. I moved onto Alec before I saw her reaction. Alec's face was blank; I couldn't read it, either. But his eyes shifted to mine and David's clasped hands, then to me with his unchanging face. My heart was thumping in my chest, I was sure, because Alec showed the smallest smirk of satisfaction before I moved to Jane. She was glaring at me, as usual, and I saw her lips move back a little from her teeth. David and I stopped a handful of feet before Aro, whom I turned my attention to.

"Ah, how lovely, our dear human has returned," Aro lilted with his creepy smile, taking the three steps down to meet us. "I do hope you enjoyed your time in care of our dear Felix and Demetri, and your time granted with your dear friend here." His milky red irises slid to David briefly.

"I did," I answered, which shockingly came out smoother than I anticipated. Aro moved his eyes in a robotic motion over my face, and my and David's hands, before moving on.

"Wonderful," he answered airily, moving his eyes slowly to David again, then to me, creepy grin still in place. "I assume you know why you are here, my dear. You have finally accepted my request into your wondrous mind." He almost sang at the end, growing more excited. I didn't notice how hard I was holding David's hand until he began to move his thumb along the back of my hand to soothe me.

"Not willingly," I deadpanned. "I'm only doing it to prove my innocence."

Aro's smile died down to a faint one, and with a knowing look, turned his head to Alec.

"Ah, yes, my son," he said a little more seriously. "I have seen what you have seen. It seems we have a little incident with...telling lies." He turned his ashy face to me with raised brows; the kind a mom has when she says, "Uh-oh!" to her child. Which is exactly what he probably thought of me.

"I would very much like to see your side of the story, my dear," he sang, famously holding his hand out to me. "But please tell me what did happen to you with your words, if you so wish."

I felt David barely squeeze my hand again and comfortingly move this thumb over it. And, for whatever reason, I wasn't afraid. There was no point in being so. Aro was one person. Alec was doing this for kicks. He wanted to play. He wanted this to happen so that I would feel vulnerable. I didn't know what drove Aro to be the way he was today, or how he even gained this much power, but all I knew was that I wouldn't let him or Alec get to me with this. Something in me wanted to just bite back and give him a taste of his own medicine with all the name calling, but I thought better of it.

"He thinks I'm lying about a few scrapes," I said simply, wanting to make it sound like it was completely ridiculous because it was, but I needed to be mature about this. I didn't want to play his game. "I told him I fell, and he doesn't believe me."

I bravely let go of David's hand and put my already free one in Aro's before anyone could say anything else. I heard a growl, but I couldn't discern who it was from.

 _You wanna play games, Alec, then fine. But I'm not playing._

I had more important things to worry about.

Aro looked like my hand was Christmas itself. His eyes widened in delight, and covered my hand with his other papery hand. The force brought me a foot closer to him, but I couldn't do anything about it. A sweet smell came to my nose, which must be his. It smelled like cherries. Real cherries. Not the artificial kind you'd smell in an air freshener or a candy. He closed his eyes and bowed his head closely to my encased hand as if he was speaking to it. His hands seemed just as cold and hard as the others', but smooth. I didn't know why he was so interested in looking into my past at all; whatever he was like as a human, I imagined that he wasn't much different. In fact, I didn't even want to know what he was like as a human.

I took that moment to glance at Felix. He glanced so briefly that it didn't even look as if he ever did so. Nothing could be given away right now. Not even subtle looks. Just then, Aro's head rose, and his milky red eyes were in sight again. His mouth was ajar with a little smile, his eyes widened like before, but you couldn't even tell that they were because they were always like that. His face looked surprised, but not surprised at the same time. He moved his eyes over my face with interest, though, like he was probing through it. It was creepy.

"How interesting," he said lowly, and his mouth barely moved. I tried to hide the inner reaction of freaking out, along with my butt tingling again. I guess whatever it was about me that didn't let anyone else's gifts work on me, didn't work on Aro.

"That you are also immune to my gift as well. A second Bella Swan." He continued, and drug it out so slowly and airily as his eyes stayed glued to mine. The words brought the greatest relief and surprise to my body and mind, then. I was safe. I wanted to smile and breathe out, but I pressed them into a line to keep from doing so. As soon as his hands loosened, I took my own back and moved back into place next to David, who held onto my arm. Not to keep me from running away, but to keep me next to him; away from Aro or Alec or anyone else.

"But I must ask, my dear," he lilted, bringing the tips of his fingers together, his face thoughtful. "How are we going to know your truth without any cognitive evidence? Perhaps a witness..."

Crap. I couldn't tell him that Felix was my witness. My body felt surprisingly calm despite my mind running frantic. If Felix spoke up, Aro would want to see it. I scrambled through my mind to find some kind of acceptable story. And before I could voice any possible fib, the last person that I expected to speak, spoke _for me_.

"Master," came Jane's bell-like, but lower, quieter voice. For once, it sounded sweet; of course, only because Aro liked her the most and I'm sure she adored him right back. "I saw the human."

David stiffened beside me and all kinds of confusion started to run through me. Confusion and panic, but lessened panic. Why would Jane speak for me? Oh, I know, this was her revenge. She was going to make me look bad and make up a story. She's taking this opportunity to make it all worse for me for upsetting Alec. I couldn't even tell if she was telling the truth or not. Her lie, whatever it was, came out so smoothly that it sounded real. Could she have seen me and Felix training that day? But Felix would have known, right? Unless...

Unless she followed me that day after...

"Oh, have you, dear?" Aro cooed at his favorite vampire. Eyes wide and appreciative as ever. "Well, then...do please share with us the details of this fine elaboration."

She smiled her little sweet-wicked smile, but never looked at me. David didn't move; he was a cold, tall statue beside me.

"Of course," she began. Oh, God, here we go. "The human was in the thickets far behind the castle. She was climbing a tree, pathetically, and couldn't attempt it to save her life. She fell from the bark and I left as soon as I smelled it. I imagine she kept climbing after that, weak as she is."

Jane looked disgustedly at me while still holding that devious smile of hers and stepped back into her place next to Alec.

"Hmm," Aro hummed, switching his eyes to me. They moved slowly like marbles, and he studied me carefully and spoke slowly. "And can you attest to this witnessing of Jane's, dear? Were you as she claims?"

"Yes," I said, pushing back my shock and billions of questions for later. I just needed him to believe me so I could get out of here.

"And you were...alone, dear?" he said, his voice floating. His eyes became tight, and I tried to be confident like this was the real story. I nodded in response and gave another "yes".

"And where was Alec in this endeavor?" He asked curiously, glancing at Alec. "You are his duty, after all. Being alone is not safe here, my darling." He lilted at the end, almost pouting his thin, stone lips as a form of reminding me. That little bit of anger from being cooped up decided to burst out at that moment and I couldn't hold it back. I was only human.

"Gee, maybe I needed some _air_ , Aro," I said bitingly. "I do breathe, you know. I'm the only human in here besides Gianna and Ray. You ever think maybe I need space? To _be_ human?"

I wanted to say so much more, but I bit my tongue and left it at that. Being around vampires all the time was squishing me into a small corner and it was making me claustrophobic. I needed fresh air, I needed to be with other people. I needed to laugh. I needed music. I needed my brother, my family. I needed _help_. I needed to save us, to save David.

"Why, yes, dear," he answered, returning to his gleeful manner. He gestured slowly and openly, much like his speaking. "But I assure you you will not be human for much longer. I do apologize for taking the human life of your...dear friend here. Desperate measures needed to be taken, for you were so precious to us. Such talent should not be wasted."

"You don't touch him," I warned lowly. I felt David's fingers twitch on my arm as a warning. _Don't_ , it said, but I had to get it out. Aro needed to know how important David was to me, because I never knew when I would see David again before I was made into a vampire. "Or hurt him. You won't do anything to him. He's _my_ friend, and I have a choice too. He's _my_ family, and if you know anything about that, you'll treat him just as such as _your_ precious twins. You took me away from my brother. And you are not taking away the only piece of human life that I have left with me, human or not. If you want me, you have to keep him, too. I'm not living whatever kind of life you think this is without him."

I didn't realize I'd stepped forward to get in Aro's face until David's strong, cold hands held my shoulders and ushered me back. I was nervous to voice my words, mainly because I never spoke up much about anything, about any problems I had. But this was dire. This was life or death. I was ridden of my family, my whole life. I pretty much had the right to defend what I had left, human or vampire. I also knew what Aro was doing to him to get him to act how he wanted him to. It was sick. David didn't deserve it, to be shaped and whipped into something that wasn't his nature, wasn't him. Aro didn't understand David at all, or me, or humans. I exhaled through my nose, feeling an angry/nervous flush in my face and ears. I glanced all around the room and received slightly different expressions from the vampires around me. Save a few.

Felix was holding back a smirk and looked more relaxed than before, but I still saw the conflict of our secret in his eyes. Demetri had a brow arched at me and a threatening look. Chelsea looked outraged at my outburst, but I paid no mind to it. Caius looked even more livid with his piercing, bright red eyes; like he was going to jump right out of that fancy marble throne and eat me. Marcus, even though sitting in the same position as always, sloped to the side, held much interest in his eyes. They looked almost...alight for once. Something charged in his eyes. I skipped over Aro, wanting to avoid his for last. Alec's face was blank as always, but he was looking at me. While his face was blank, his eyes were blazing at me for the same reason as Demetri, Chelsea, and Caius. If he was feeling anything else, he wasn't showing it. Jane was glaring a little at me, but her face was softer than usual. I really wanted to know why she lied for me. She couldn't be developing a soft spot for me. She hated me more than anything. I couldn't avoid Aro's eyes any longer and lastly laid my eyes on his. His face just stayed the same. Amused, delighted, but his smile was flat.

"You surely watch your tongue! I ought to feast on you _myself_! You bruting, disgusting, _disrespectful_ -!" Caius threatened me, his voice as sharp as a double-edged sword. He rose out of his seat, but Aro held his arm up.

"She cannot speak to you in that way," Caius continued, quieter this time for Aro, but still sharp. If looks could kill, Caius would have killed me the first time I spoke to Aro this way. "Her tongue is much too free for what she is worth."

"Don't even think about it," David hissed, his new animal instincts ready to push me behind him if such were to happen. His new sinewy arm was already braced to do so, guarding my body diagonally. I peered up at him; his beautiful, sculpted face was leery, watching Caius intently. I may have slightly wondered what Alec thought about this, but I saved myself the glance.

"Please, gentlemen," Aro drew out boredly, except for the following warning. "There will be no quarreling here. We are a peaceful unit with no intention to harm anyone. Caius."

Caius angrily but gracefully sank back into his seat, and David's arm lowered from my body, but only by inches; he had it on stand-by. Aro watched me with his eyes and spoke again.

"My dear, may I ask for your hand once more?" He held out his papery, powdery, but smooth hand again, ignoring my rant. His eyes glanced to David, and David's arm obediently but reluctantly moved completely away from my body. "I would like one more attempt."

I kept my eyes on his more confidently this time and met him halfway. He smiled his creepy smile, embraced my hand and bowed his head close to it like before, concentrating. Why was he so desperate to know what was in my mind? What was so interesting about it? I was just me. A girl with two of the best boys in her life and a band. Well, had a band. My "gift" wasn't a gift to me; it was just a part of me. Aro wanted me for his own benefit, for power; I just wanted to sing. To cheer someone up, to express my feelings, to have fun. And I doubt Aro would allow a concert to take place in his precious castle.

Aro's head lifted seconds later, his eyes opening. He looked at my wistfully, a little sigh whispering through his mouth. His cherry scent fanned my face, and I didn't particularly enjoy it. He was disappointed, but intrigued and delighted still.

"Nothing," he sighed, releasing my hand. "How fascinating. I do hope to know what your other gift is, my dear. For now, I have an excellent request of you."

He began to slowly pace, tapping his fingertips against each other. I listened, hoping it wasn't involving anything about David.

"You have loudly voiced your concern with your own human time," he spoke slowly. "And you request...more openness. Would I be correct?"

"Yes," I answered. I had a feeling this wasn't a normal request. This felt...different. Aro's pauses and his glances toward the floor told me so. Aro never glanced toward the floor. Or, at least, I haven't seen him do it before.

"Wonderful!" he exclaimed, his feathery voice echoing into the crevices of the smooth, pale marble walls. He stopped and turned to me, his eyes charged with excitement. "I have a mission for you, dear. It is imperative that you accept this request, for it involves the dear lives of our friends Alec, Felix, and Demetri. And yours as well."

I didn't say anything. I just waited for him to continue. How could I have more time to be a human if they were around? It didn't make sense, no offense to them. It's not like they wanted to be around me, anyway. Save Felix. He was the only one who seemed to enjoy my company.

"You see, we seem to have come across something strange," Aro went on to explain. "It seems a certain immortal has been lurking on our premises. An immortal we cannot seem to...find. And it would mean so much to me and my dear ones if you would offer your presence." His smile widened, and it made me sick. I wanted to hide behind David.

"So you want me to be bait," I concluded.

"Ah, ah, ah," Aro chided lightly, strolling toward me. He took his cold index finger and ran it across my chin. The icy feel gave me goosebumps, but the move disgusted me. I turned my face away voluntarily from his touch. David lifted his arm out to protect me, but Aro barely gave him a glance. "Please don't think of it as baiting, dear child. Think of it as...doing for your _family_. Our secret is most important, wouldn't you agree? David?"

Aro finally lifted his head to look at him, taking his hand away from my face, but he looked at him differently than he looked at me. He looked at David as if he expected him to say something respectful. His smile was barely there compared to when he smiled at me. At this point, I understood more now what Aro was doing to him behind my back. I saw the look of possible punishment in his eyes; I saw how much he saw David as a second choice. He didn't like David at all, and that only increased my need for my secret plan. How could I get Aro to ease up on him? How could I stop it? I knew of only one thing, and I'd do it if it meant David would be left alone: taking all the blows, all the hits.

"Of course," David replied smoothly, obediently. It almost didn't sound like him.

"Look, I'll do it," I said, trying to get his attention away from David. "What do you want me to do?"

Aro's attention was back to me with a happy grin, and he laughed; it echoed all around the room, even though it sounded like a musically tuned hyena.

"Delightful," he answered. "Your intention in this mission is to allure the aloof one. Your scent is one unlike any other, my dear. You must draw him in with your human acts and these fine gentlemen will be your apprentices." He opened his arms wide to motion to the vampires on each side of him, although I wasn't sure if Jane would be joining us.

"How am I supposed to draw him in if you don't even know who he is?" I asked, but not in an offensive way; this question was actually genuine. If I was going to, a), convince Aro that I was, even a little, liking it here, b) keep my plan a secret, and c) protect David, I had to get all the information I could to do my job right.

"That is something we will know when you attract him, my dear," he answered politely. "He will surely follow your scent if he is out to seek you. After all, there must be only one reason he is lurking here. And we cannot have you in danger, my dear. You are much, much too important. And, of course, you have chosen not to live without your dear friend here. What fulfillment would that promise bring if you were to be diminished?"

 _Yet ironically, you're putting me in the face of danger so that I won't get eaten_ , I wanted to say.

"Will she be safe?" David asked in an edgy voice. "If this vampire wants her, they have to be close to her. If anything happens to her-don't I have permission to go to this-?"

"All is well, I assure you," Aro cut him off gently with his palm raised. His voice floated slowly in the air like a feather in the wind. "I am sorry, but you are still much too young to join them. You are inexperienced, and I cannot risk the life of your dear friend and something going awry. I do give my sincere promises that she will be safe. She is in the safest care of Alec. Am I correct, my dear son?" He looked to his "son" adoringly just like Jane, but in a different sense. The father-to-son look, instead of the soft, adoring look a father would give his daughter. Alec bowed his head religiously to Aro and made eye contact with David. Why, why did his voice have to make me feel so warm and melty inside when he was acting the exact opposite of how he spoke? Curse my brain for feeling things.

"Her life is in my hands," he spoke to David formally, authoritatively as if he was above him, _beautifully_. And strangely, convincing. "I intend to protect her as such. I never go against my Master's rules." Cue the warm secure feeling that I shouldn't have because he was only doing it out of Aro's command. And the worst part was that I couldn't blame it on my cold anymore because I no longer had it.

"Now, we must disperse. I have much to discuss with David, and Heidi requests your presence, dear. Alec will join you shortly after," Aro said, giving me a, what looked like, warm smile.

"And you _won't_ hurt him," I said as I looked him right in his milky-filmed red eyes, trying not to be threatening. I kept calm and sunk back into myself, my shy feelings. Not that they weren't sincere, but maybe I could use my newfound idea to get Aro to not hurt David. "Right? If you're promising that I won't get hurt, I want to ask the same thing for him. I worry about him, and he worries about me. All the time. Every day. And all I ask is for some peace of mind."

Aro's eyes looked almost, almost compassionate as he looked back in my eyes with his soft smile. I could only hope what I said made a difference. David made no move beside me except for a light pressure in my arm.

"Of course, my dear," he answered softly, bringing his palms together like he was praying. "I assure you he will be safe here in my care. Fear not. I will allow you to meet again soon. The lovely evening for the ball is coming up so very soon."

"She's been practicing as you ordered," David informed him obediently. "I watched her."

Aro nodded in approval at this.

"Marvelous," he breathed, his eyes alight again. "I do anxiously await your performance at the ball, dear."

I smiled at this, hiding the deviance in it. I said one sentence that held actual happiness.

"As do I." I added a bow in for effect, and he dismissed us. Immediately, David turned to me and had me in his arms before anyone else could take me away. His left arm secured the small of my back to his body while his right arm was gingerly between my shoulder blades. His dark gold hair was as soft as any kitten's against my temple, and his cheek was as cold an Arctic wind. The blasting chill wrapped around my body through his clothes, but his touch was the only familiar thing. I could tell he wanted to give me one of his bone-crushing hugs, and I could feel him holding back several bouts of his strength. His embrace was as tight as he allowed himself, but it was close to the bone-crushing ones that I now missed. In the moment that he embraced me, most of the vampires had flashed forward to pull him off. I saw Felix and Demetri, but I had no idea of anyone behind me.

"Brothers," Aro called, thankfully stopping them. "No harm done. You see, a gentle embrace. Felix. Demetri. Alec. Chelsea." Chelsea? David was right about her. She did have a thing for him. I saw her sneering at me before backing off, and I took that moment to ignore everyone and hug him back, securing my arms around his icy, marble neck. As tight as I could. I wasn't sure if he could feel it, but I didn't care. I wouldn't see him again until the ball, and I needed this comfort and familiarity with me. I needed to give him an embrace of security, of promise. I was always used to him smelling like Ralph Lauren or Axe mixed with Downy (and Doritos), but his new scent, the honey and sunshine, was somehow identifying with him. It spoke David. I heard Felix say something, but I wasn't paying attention. I saw the vampires move in blurs away from our embrace, probably to give us privacy. I felt the cold air of David's breath at my ear and heard him whisper.

"I'll be okay," he said so quietly that I almost didn't hear it. It came out almost as quickly as a passing breath itself, musically and smooth. His big brother, determined voice was back, and if he was scared at all, he showed no trace of it. But I knew I was scared myself. "Don't you worry about me. Promise me, dudette."

But I couldn't. I couldn't promise that. I wanted to, because I knew it would give him a sense of security himself, but I just couldn't. I wished on any shooting star, on any clock and tossing coin in that moment that we would be safe, that we would get out of here. I wished and hoped that some coin was being tossed, that some star was shooting across the night sky in a different country, or that the clock read 11:11 somewhere. Or that God was hearing this somehow. I sent out a silent plea to the world and closed my eyes. And I made a promise instead to myself that I would get him out of here, even if it was without me. I promised that I would keep my promise and my plan. And I could answer him back in that moment now.

"I promise," I whispered back in the blanket of my own promise, feeling my brows come together to stop any collecting tears.

 _Oh, please don't do this to me, eyes. You know I don't like anyone seeing me cry. Be strong._

"I love you, dudette," he whispered quickly. I felt his cold lips brush against my cheek, and then I was under the wing of Heidi in a split second, which gave me no time to react. When I looked back, I only got a glimpse of two people's faces out of all the vampires in the room. David, who watched me solemnly with such intense emotion before turning away...

And Marcus, who watched us both with what I could only describe as surprise and sadness. Something in his eyes reflected that he understood. But maybe that was just his gift talking.

I didn't see Alec in the room.

XxX

I stood still while Heidi wrapped the yellow flexible measuring tape around my waist once more. She took me into her own room, which had one of the longest, tallest body mirrors I had ever seen. It was taller than Felix, and wider than the doors of the closet in my room. It hung directly next to her closet, surprisingly leaving some room between the two. Her room was full of mahogany and purple colors, every fabric made of either satin or velvet. The floor was a shiny, polished dark wood; I had been surprised at its smoothness under my feet when she made me take the flats off. Her closet doors, individually, were almost as wide as the shower opening in my bathroom. Endless dresses, both modern and antique, were lined in there, all the colors and fabrics ranging from royal blue, deep red, dark rose, emerald green, and various shades of cream and ivory, to silk, velvet, satin, cotton, and polyester. Her room had a bed in it, and I wish I didn't know the reason why. It was huge, king sized, with all silk sheets and a tall, black iron canopy post framing it. White sheets underneath, deep crimson red covers on top, and silk pillows to match. She had a small, rich wood desk next to the door with what I guessed were diaries lined up in a built-in shelf on it. Various pens, the dip-and-write kind, were held in a shallow porcelain dish. She seemed to keep her personal life out of show, and fashion highlighted. I, however, was lost in thought about what happened thirty minutes earlier in the throne room. Jane lying for me. Marcus's looks. David's profession of love? That left me more confused than Jane's doing. Why did he say that? And I didn't mean why did he say it-he's never said it before, but I knew he loved me like his own sister-I mean why did he say it _like that_? In that tone...although said so quickly, the tone was different than any other way he'd spoken to me. It was the same way when he talked about the promise he made to my brother. That strange ache that I'd been feeling for two weeks now made its appearance, and I mentally shook my head. It all happened so fast. I think I was just over-analyzing. The situation was tense; Aro was hurting him and we both couldn't deny it, of course this was the time to say we loved each other (even though I didn't say it back). Because anything could happen. One of us could die for doing something wrong, and I didn't want that to happen. I wouldn't let it happen. I did love David, and I wished now that I would have said it back. And as for Marcus-his gift was to read relationships, so I'd been told by Felix-but the way he looked when I left...

Did he have a history like Jane and Alec that he didn't want to speak about? Felix never said that he did, but now I was wondering it myself. Maybe I was over-analyzing his looks too, but something, _something_ about his look gave me the smallest pang of hope. Like he understood. Whatever reflected in his eyes told me so. It had to be real, didn't it? He always looked bored, and-

"You've grown smaller in the waist," Heidi said accusingly, which threw me out of my thoughts. "And you grew half an inch. Now I have to re-adjust the measurements for your gown." She scoffed, and it sounded beautiful, perfect, silky, just like her voice. It was like imagining the finest, glossiest chocolate fall perfectly and smoothly from the crevices of a whisk back into the bowl. Her voice wasn't as bell-like as Jane's; Heidi's was more grown-up, more sultry. Wait, what did she say?

"I grew?" I asked. "How?" I already knew why I was smaller; Felix's training. But I grew? Wow. I thought I was done growing. This little piece of information made me a little happier than I'd been all day, because I'd been dying to get out of that half section for years. It was never a two-word answer when it came to the doctor or conversations; it was always "and a half" at the end. But now, I could freely say that I was a two-word five feet and eight inches.

"Does it matter? I have to match your new measurements now," she said disappointedly, looking over my body. I still wondered sometimes how Alec or anyone else didn't fall for Heidi. She was beautiful, more beautiful than any supermodel or probably any vampire on the planet. The rich mahogany color of her full, loose curls contrasted perfectly with the white, loose V-neck blouse she was wearing, and the very short black mini-skirt with two zippers that acted as fake pockets and matching thin, black belt. On her feet were tan and gold, barely strapped thin heels. It gave her two inches of height that she didn't need, she was already tall with her gorgeous, perfectly muscled legs. They exceeded the kind you saw in lotion ads and Sherri Hill pictures. Although they were pale ivory and she had no panty hose, everything matched her perfectly. She reminded me a lot of Kelly, who, even though I barely knew, I wished was here. Heidi reminded me of her in this way, including her beauty. Kelly was tall too, with a beautiful face like Heidi's, even though she was human. With the heels, Heidi was probably taller than Kelly, but without them, she could have matched her height. I glanced at Heidi's closet of old, ancient, possibly hand-woven dresses and wondered then...

"Can I ask you something?" I asked her curiously. She came around the front after measuring my waist again and looked in my eyes, as if she were searching for a threat. Then she looked at my arm and began to measure that too, me obediently holding it out for her.

"What do you need to ask?" she asked, focused on the measuring. Then her tone changed. "If this is about Alec again, then you really must be blind. Figuratively. He's in-"

"It's not," I answered, our voices mixing together, ignoring the Alec talk for now. "It's about you, actually. If you don't mind."

"Oh?" she piqued, looking at me again with her rich crimson eyes that seemed to almost match her hair. It wasn't bright like the others. Hers were darker, more mysterious, more womanly in a way. I think it was the infinite amount of dark lashes that framed her eyes. "And what would that be?"

"How did you...get so into fashion?" I asked, looking at her dresses once more. "You have a lot of clothes."

Her eyes changed then, moving them to my other arm and measuring it. She gave a stunning small smile and allowed some glistening, impossibly white teeth to show while moving fluidly to around my bust. She looked reminiscent, if even for a moment. Her scent was so feminine, so floral, like her. Like lilac and...jasmine?

"A woman, fairly close to my age," she said simply. "She taught me everything about it. I adored it, and she did as well. She shared her ideas, I shared mine. We spent countless hours on designs and fabrics."

"Was she a Volturi, too?" I asked hesitantly, unsure if I was going too far. She measured my leg, allowing a moment of silence.

"Long ago, yes," she answered finally, walking away fluidly into her mall-sized closet for a moment. I heard a bag unzipping.

"Sorry," I offered. "If it was private."

Heidi came back out of the closet, carrying a piece of dark, dark red fabric in both of her hands. It was short, only about two inches of the end of the fabric dangling from her left hand. Once she got closer, I got a good look at it.

And it horrified me and amazed me all at the same time.

The dress, lovely in its rich, dark crimson color, was short, possibly not ending very far from the middle of my thighs. The top was a laced pattern, making up the impossibly short sleeves and curving and ending underneath the bust. It was all but elegant and sexy at the same time; the bottom was just smooth and matte, leaving it to probably shape my lower half. It looked lightweight and loose, but close to hugging by the look of the waist size. How could something be so beautiful and so scary at the same time? I never wore dresses, unless I was to go to a wedding or a band concert or something. I'd only worn them less than a handful of times, and while they made me feel a little more elegant, this one just plain made me feel naked by just looking at it. This wasn't a dress for prom or a funeral, or a business meeting. This was a dress for clubbing and seducing. And I had to wear it.

What kind of missions do these people go on?

"The red will compliment your skin much better," she said approvingly. "Black is...not the best color for you to wear at the moment." I saw her move her eyes over my clothes and inwardly agreed. I felt dark and depressed wearing black all the time.

"You want me to wear this?" I almost squeaked out. "It's so-"

"You need to be attractive to him," she explained, lacing business and amusement together like she loved to talk about attracting men. But of course, she had to; her gift was to do exactly that and induce their trust. "Vampire men have specific tastes, especially the ones who feed on humans. They pick the most appealing-looking humans, and you have to play the part. You have to learn to use your body. So, here you are." She put the fabric in my hands, and I reluctantly took it. I looked at the thing like it was laughing at me, because it might as well have been. I heard her beautiful scoff.

"Oh, please, you're going to be wearing plenty more of this kind of clothing once you are one of us," she said, and I could practically hear her eyes rolling. Her words flooded my body with dread, and I prayed to God that I wouldn't be much different as a vampire. I looked up into her red-mahogany eyes with chagrin.

"Is this coming from the woman who taught you everything you know about fashion?" I asked almost sarcastically. She gave me a small glare, pushed her big curls behind her shoulder to expose her white, creamy neck, and turned back to go into the closet once more.

 _Oops_ , I thought. I didn't mean to make her mad.

"For your information, I chose my own preference of style," she said confidently, as if she got that kind of comment about her clothing all the time. "And you are going to get used to it. Heels." She sauntered back to me gracefully with her long legs and put matching heels on top of the dress in my arms. The heel, thankfully, wasn't too tall; only about an inch and a half, and they were actually pretty cute. Only three sets of straps made it up, and it had a small buckle for securing at the ankle. **(A/N: Link for Heidi's outfit, dress and shoes will be in my profile! Note: the dress I picked out isn't red. That's because I loved the dress and it was exactly what I was looking for, but they didn't have the color I wanted. So I used my imagination aaaand boom! So please disregard the color of the dress in the pic.)**

"You will have to learn to walk in them," she added. Cue the dread coming back. And cue Heidi's beautiful eye roll.

"Humans," she said. "Now be on your way. Alec is waiting for you." She smiled knowingly, but I still had more questions about the woman Heidi talked about. If she was a Volturi, where was she now? Why wasn't she here? Was she dead?

"Can I just ask...one more thing?" I said, also trying to absorb the estrogen in the air so I could prepare myself to deal with Alec. I needed the understanding of a woman, even if it was a vampire. Heidi seemed sensitive to the subject of this woman, and I wanted to know why. She lifted her perfectly arched and groomed brow at me and stood impossibly still.

"Honey," she called me, and it reminded me of when Kelly once called me a similar name. Was it sweetheart? Sweetie? I couldn't remember. "He's crazy about you."

Oh God, not this again.

"It's not about Alec," I said, feeling blood rush to my cheeks at her words. I could hardly believe them. "Why do you keep saying that? In fact, why does everybody keep saying that? He hates me."

"Oh, please, girl," was all she said with the shake of her head and her gorgeous smile. Not the "girl" we used today. She called me "girl" as if I was a little girl, so naive and oblivious. "He may fool you, but he does not fool us. You have a much bigger effect on him than you lead on to believe."

"I wasn't going to ask about him," I tried again, wanting to ignore her words, but I couldn't stop the little spread of warmth through my chest and the way my stomach flipped. "What happened to her? The woman."

Heidi once again searched my face for an impending threat, but all I had was my curiosity. I couldn't read her face; it was poker, and she was good at it.

"We don't know," she said quietly, leading her voice to sound like a slip of silk falling to the ground gracefully. She sounded aloof, like it was no big deal, like it happened all the time. Except that it didn't. If you were trapped by the Volturi, you were trapped for life. But I still had hopes of getting out of here. I only nodded in response before she tried to usher me out again.

"Don't wrinkle that dress. I mean it," she threatened like it was her own child. "And walk straight in those heels. You'll break an ankle if you don't."

"Why am I wearing heels, then?" I asked on the way to the door. I heard her sigh.

"Attraction is the number one motive in male vampire antics," she answered boldly. "You are lucky I gave you the shortest heels. Alec would kill me if I gave you any other kind. So, learn. Attract. Be irresistible. Be sexy. Do not wear any perfume. It will mask your scent and drive him away. Be open and flirt with him if it comes down to it, but do not get yourself secluded. And do not trust anything he says to you. Vampires are convincing. Do you understand?"

"Yes," I said, taking note of everything mentally.

"Good. But I'm not worried about you," she said smugly, opening the door. I stepped out of her room and faced her.

"Why?" I asked, fusing my brows together. Nobody had any faith in me for anything here, except for Demetri, who only had faith that I could insult Camilla.

"You're a smart girl," she said honestly with her smug smile. "You aren't like other humans. Or girls, for that matter. And I think you know that. You just happen to mark yourself below everyone else."

I moved my eyes to the ground and shifted uncomfortably. Why did all this have to come back to me?

"Thanks," I mumbled, but not about what she said. I held the attire up for emphasis and left, heading for the stairs to go one story down to the hall where my own room was. I took my time, not in any hurry to be met with Alec's face. Instead, I thought about the woman who used to be in the Volturi. How could Heidi say that they didn't know what happened to her? Who was she, and why was she gone? What did she do? If they were so close, wouldn't Heidi want to go looking for her? It didn't make sense. And neither did the way she addressed the woman's absence. There was something in my mind trying to connect what Heidi told me and what I already knew, but how would I know if I was right? I only asked myself more questions on the way down, the second coming back to Jane. Why had she lied for me? She told Aro a fib right in his face, and he hadn't even noticed. He believed her right away. There was no reason for Jane to speak up for me...

The little assumption I had earlier came whirling back, then. Could it be possible? Could she have seen Felix and me on that day? If she did, why didn't she just tell on me? She hated me, after all. She had a completely open opportunity to do it, and she didn't. What was I missing?

I came to the end of the stairs, looping my fingers through the ankle straps of the heels and laying the dress over my left arm. The hall was empty. No Alec. How surprising. I continued to my door, expecting to maybe find him in there, but much to my actual surprise this time, he wasn't.

 _Probably talking to Aro or something._

I laid the dress carefully on my bed, smoothing it out and almost shuddering at it once more. I put the heels at the foot of the bed and scanned my eyes all across the room. I had to get out of these clothes. The whole situation was over, and I was safe, but in another place I was not. While I was safe from Aro, I wasn't from Jane. I went back to thinking about how she lied to me while making my way to the closet to find something more casual.

If she saw us in the woods that day, there's no doubt I'll have to beg her not to tell, I ranted, and opened the closet door.

"Boo," I heard an amused Alec, but my body reacted before my mind did. Almost immediately, it reacted with Felix's training. My body braced itself and I shot my elbow up to bruise his face in self defense. He caught it before it was halfway raised, and in a flash my back was pressed into his chest with my attacking arm pinned to my stomach. His arms were around me like a vice and I had no way of moving. My body wanted to react by flipping his body over my shoulder, but I had to push back the force. He was much too heavy, anyway.

"What are you thinking?" he hissed in my ear as I made no move. And as soon as he was scolding me, he was playing games again. "I pull a harmless little joke on you and this is what I receive in return? How unfair."

"Then maybe you shouldn't try to scare me," I said through my teeth, trying to ignore his scent, his touch, the position we were in. My heart was thumping through my chest, and I forced myself to concentrate. My mind was on fight or flight mode, and I quickly tried to think of some way to get out of this. Come on, come on, what's his weakness?

You, that stupid voice piped in, and I gave it a nice eye roll. I thought and thought, until I remembered...

Vampires are easily distracted.

" _I_ can do whatever I please, _cara_ ," he crooned in my ear. "And that includes-"

"Includes what, Camilla?" I shot back, using my anger at this point. I didn't want to say it, and I was surprised that I didn't feel the crippling dread that I had when Felix told me the story. I liked it that way. Much to my luck, the moment I felt his arms leave me, and to possibly grab me in another way in a flash, I moved as fast as humanly possible (or rather, as fast as I had learned to be) and ducked around his arms, backing away from him to get a look at his face. For the first time, I actually saw some real emotion. He was angry, livid, shocked, and...conflicted?

"How do you know about that?" He asked in a deadly calm voice, but I heard the anger underneath it. He was trying to scare me, but at this point I realized that I was used to it. He always did this. So I decided to keep going with it. Just for fun of my own. "Answer me now, human."

"Why? Why do you care how I know about it? Maybe I deserved my own fun just now after you enjoyed watching me squirm in the throne room over something _I didn't even lie about_ ," I said, my heart beating faster from the adrenaline, the fun of it, and also the slight anger. I actually meant what I said this time. "And I know you know I didn't lie."

"You. _Shouldn't._ Know about it," he said lethally, starting to circle me, and I followed suit. I watched him carefully as we circled around each other, mentally bracing to move out of the way. "I can do whatever I please. And _that_. Is none of your business."

"Then how I got my scratches is none of your business," I said breathlessly from my heart thumping so hard. "I'm pretty sure it doesn't feel good when somebody messes with your personal information. And then uses it against you. But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you? Especially since you always try to scare everybody. But now that I've found out a piece of information about you? Now you're mad. I'm a _human_ , so why do you care what a little human knows about you?"

I barely had time to roll when Alec lunged himself at me. I barely made it, throwing myself across the floor and rolling, quickly recovering, but he was towering over me the moment I did. I scooted back on my butt while he kept sauntering forward, as angry and livid as I'd ever seen him. I was pretty sure that my confidence demeanor was gone, but I tried to stay calm despite the fact that he could kill me right now. It reminded me of when I was on the tour bus and he almost did kill me. But he didn't. It was like something...

" _You don't know the first thing about me!_ " he finally rose his voice, and it was scary. While it shockingly still sounded beautiful, his voice was so sharp that the air could be cut with it. His face was so livid and his eyes were almost glowing with the anger. It was like looking at an angry angel. "You have no right to know about my _past_ , my _present_ , or my _future_! I control _you_! If you believe that I will not kill you right now and allow myself to be consumed by my thirst for you..."

I was frozen. I couldn't move. I wasn't even sure if I heard the last half of his rant. All I know is that he stared at me, I stared at him, and I swear by the almighty God in heaven that I saw the tiniest glimpse of something in his eyes. It was gone, barely there, vanished as soon as it was there. And I couldn't identify it because it was so brief. But it was something different. Something I'd never seen before. I couldn't even speak; I waited for him to do something, to keep yelling, attack me, but nothing happened. We both stared at each other. He'd just stopped. Green stared into red, trying to decipher what was going on beyond it. His face was stony, but still livid, just stuck as it was. But slowly, slowly, I thought I saw it thaw out, but barely. He stayed standing in the same position, and cut his eyes away from me to the floor, his gloved hands in fists.

"Leave," he commanded quietly. "Now."

I forced my frozen body to move past its adrenaline paralysis and did as he said, rising to my feet. I walked past him slowly, afraid that he might attack me, but he never did. He stayed in his statuesque position, not breathing, not doing anything. I continued to the door, not looking back and shutting the door behind me. I sank down against the door and sat there, wondering what just happened. The day hadn't even hardly begun, and too many things were happening on top of the other things I had learned, and it was too much for me to handle in the moment.

And I cried silently because of it, not caring if anyone heard me. Even Alec.

 **Even strong people have their breakdowns. OKAY. I AM SO. SORRY. I SEE YOU ALL HAVE MORE ROTTEN FRUIT TO THROW AT ME, BUT LISTEN. I GOT THE CHAPTER UP, OKAY? I decided to make it longer because I just made stuff up to add, tbh xD so I hope you enjoyed that annnnnnnd yeah. What do you guys think of Jane lying to Aro? WHY SHE DO THAT? And that stare between Cheyenne and Alec? Where are things gonna go now? How do you feel about David telling Cheyenne he loves her? Is it weird to have a slight crush on your own character? xD And the woman who used to be in the Volturi? WHO IS SHE? AND HOW IS SHE EVEN IMPORTANT? What about the mission? WHO'S STALKING HER? All shall be revealed :) And don't worry, Alec and Cheyenne will be having a liiiittle talk next chapter. Everything will be discussed, including Jane. PLEASE, PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU, WRITE A REVIEW FOR THIS. If you do, maybe I can get Jane to lie for you, too. Pretty sure she won't care that you made lasagna at 2 A.M. after your mom told you not to. Or that you fell out of a tree. Even though you didn't.**


	21. Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting

**CPOV**

I barely ate the food on the plate that Ray slid in front of me. I wasn't paying attention to what it even was; I was too distraught by the moment to be hungry. All the information and situations were floating in my head, but they were numbed out by my post-crying fatigue. I felt them floating, waiting to be noticed, but I didn't acknowledge them. I didn't want to. I didn't want to think about anything. I was being stretched so thin by it all that I, for once, chose to turn my emotions off. I just sat slouched in the bar stool, leaning across the granite counter top. Alec had never come out of my room, but I heard things being broken against the wall a few minutes after my crying began. Felix had flown up the stairs and found me.

 _He looked to the door, then to me carefully with guarded eyes before sauntering over and hoisting me up. I felt like a rag doll being dragged around everywhere by a seven year old girl._

 _"Go," he ordered, gently pushing me in the direction of the stairs. "You're at risk being here. Ray has your breakfast waiting."_

 _He stared and watched me until I finally went down the stairs. Before I did, I chose to look back and look at his face. Nothing. Blank._

"Felix will kill me if you don't eat all of that," Ray said carefully. When I didn't answer, he asked about me again.

"What happened to you, what did they do?" he pressed, but was concerned. "Are you okay? Did that son of a bitch make you cry?"

I just shrugged in light of the pressing questions; I didn't do well under pressure. I didn't even want to think about if he really did make me cry or not.

"It's not him," I said, my voice thick from crying. I took my time in answering. "It's _this_. All of it. Being here."

"And you don't deserve to be in this shit anyhow," he emphasized with the southern drawl that he had, coming around the counter to pat me on the back. It made me feel a little better. Only a little. "Not an innocent girl like you. It's unfair, is what it is."

I didn't say anything; I didn't know what to say. I just let him pat me on the back while I tried not to wonder what would happen from here.

"And I can't believe I'm saying it, but I would kick their asses if I could," he continued, huffing as a chuckle. "I really would."

"It wouldn't be worth it," I said, secretly trying to talk him out of that idea. He was starting to sound like David, and I didn't want to go there. To get the attention away from me, I straightened up and rubbed my eyes. "I'm fine now."

He probably didn't believe me, but he went back around the corner to his spot behind the counter and got me a glass of water.

"Nobody's fine if they're stuck here, sis," he said, adding his chosen term for me. I could tell he thought of me as a little sister; I saw him everyday, three times a day for all my meals and we'd talked about a lot of things. Music, video games, etc. We did speak of the vampires, but not much since they could hear everything. We had more in common than David and I did. "I would get you out of here if I could." He placed the glass in front of me, and I drank. _You have no idea, Ray. You have no idea._

"I know you would," I said quietly, setting the glass down. "I would do the same for you. You have a family, too." David had showed me a picture of his girlfriend last week, and I could see why he kept this from her. She was beautiful, an inch taller than me, with long, straight wheat-colored hair and crystal blue eyes that were already elongated and cat-like on their own. She chose to wear mascara in every photo and that was it, but she didn't need anything else. Light, almost unnoticeable freckles dusted her nose, held a stud, and on her inner cheeks. Her teeth were straight, more rounded, and white; the kind of teeth you saw in Crest White Strips commercials. Her long, oval face was clear, sporting the lightest of tans. She was beautiful on her own, and I knew that if I was with a girl like that, I would do anything for her safety, too. I remembered wishing that I could meet her. My heart ached for both of them so much that I promised to take them with me when I was free of this place. And if I ever saw Robert or Kelly again, I'd ask them if they could give Ray and Sophie a flight to anywhere they wished to go. And then I couldn't help but wonder where Robert was, even for a minute. I wondered how he was doing with finding other talented musicians. He was probably living life as normal, not even hearing about us once he left for the States.

"How are you so sweet?" he asked as if it was ridiculous. "You don't ever think of yourself." Non-accusatory. I just shrugged.

"You deserve it," I said. "You didn't choose to be here, neither did I. You've been here longer."

"I might not ever get out of here," he said somberly. "But I'd be happy knowing that you did if that was possible. But for real, did he say something to you? Did he do something to you?" Back to the bigger, scarier brother stance. David's stance wasn't even scary, but Ray's was. He was like the scary dad you never wanted your boyfriend to meet. I sucked in a breath and let it out.

"He threw stuff, but I wasn't in the room," I answered, choosing to leave out what really happened. It wasn't a total lie; he did throw things, and I wasn't in the room.

"Enough talk," came Felix's cutting voice from the stairs, and while it startled me, I didn't jump. I was too frazzled. "Has she finished her breakfast?"

"I'm not hungry, Felix," I said dully, turning back toward the plate. I finally saw what it was; an omelet almost too big for the plate and two half pieces of toast. Of course, more protein. Thanks, Felix.

"You will eat it," he said with finality. "And then we need to have a discussion. I will be back here in ten minutes to retrieve you." I didn't hear him leave, but I knew he was gone.

"He doesn't scare you?" Ray asked, noticing my extreme nonchalance. I picked up my fork, chopped off a piece of the omelet, looked up at him, and answered.

"He's the nice one," was all I said before I forced the omelet down.

When I ate as much of the food as I could (I only got half of the way through it, and I had to tell Felix three times that I felt sick because of it before he allowed me to leave), I followed him downstairs to the hall where the music and training room were. Oh, right. I had forgotten about that. But he didn't tell me to change clothes. What was going on?

He stopped at the music room, looked at me, and sported a blinding smile before swinging the door open. I peeked inside, afraid of what I might see. And when I saw what was there, I felt a mixture of lightness and dread.

"You promised we'd sing karaoke together," he reminded me. "What better time than now?"

 _Crap._

Felix saw whatever face I was making and his face faltered.

"And you're upset," he said. "I know how into music you are. I don't deny that any musician turns to music for an outlet. Come on, it'll be fun!" Cue the grin.

He was right about that; a good song could totally turn my mood around. Ah, come on, when was the last time you sang freely with actual music? Maybe singing with Felix wouldn't be so bad.

"Okay," I reluctantly agreed. "Let's go."

Felix danced into the room while I trudged behind and took in the strange set up in the middle of the room. The piano was still in its place, and I wondered when Felix put all this stuff in here.

"There she is," he said with admiration. "She" was a five foot and a half tall curved podium with a nineteen inch flat screen on it. Flanking it were two tall but small speakers. They weren't the wide ones, shockingly; they were thinner in width, like a tall plank of wood. Two microphones sat in their holders beneath the screen. Felix tossed a microphone my way while he turned the screen on. "So, what do you want to do first? You have to do Taylor Swift if you're going to be singing with me."

"What about my gift, though?" I asked. "It's going to affect you, too. How are you going to sing with me?"

"Have you ever tested that theory before?" He questioned like he was a scientist. I thought about it, and as I did, I only remembered David. When I saw him for the first time since he'd been changed, he didn't seem affected by my gift. He didn't any of the times we sang together since he'd been changed, as a matter of fact. Could David have a gift too, then? A gift like mine? If he did, he hadn't shown any proof of it, and I hadn't even thought about it until now.

"Not intentionally," I said, and went on to explain. "David doesn't seem to be. Nothing happened to him."

Felix paused for a moment, then came back to the present before coming to stand next to me.

"Then I shouldn't be at any risk," he answered. "As long as we're singing together."

Felix sang with me on every verse, except for the parts I let him go solo on, so that he wouldn't be affected by my "gift", and it worked pretty well. He wasn't too bad, either. His deep voice did well in harmonizing with the song. Why did Demetri always complain about it?

He high-fived me when we were done.

"Amazing," he exclaimed. "We killed it!"

"Yeah," I said with relief, glad that he wasn't subjected to my gift. Suddenly, glancing at the piano, I became wistful and thought of David. While it felt good to unwind, I couldn't help but wonder where he was right now. Or what was happening to him. I internally shuddered and winced. I hated the thought of it.

Or so I thought.

"What is it?" Felix asked, suddenly suspicious. "Are you not having fun? Look, I know I'm not as good as you, but-"

I shook my head.

"No," I said, unable to take my eyes off of the piano. I remembered how just a couple of short hours ago, I was sitting there with David, and he was out of my grasp again. It frustrated me; I couldn't do anything and I wanted to do everything. Then I took note of Felix himself, and an unsure but hopeful feeling came over me as an idea formed.

"Felix," I started fiercely, turning my head sharply in his direction. His eyes moved over my face with a bit of surprise. "You made me promise I wouldn't tell anybody about my training."

"Yes," he said slowly. This seemed to make him tense a little bit, which made me pay even more attention. "I did. Are you all right, little woman?"

"Yeah," I said quickly and dismissively, getting to my point. "I've kept my promise. And now I want something in return."

His mood was completely changed now, seeming to catch on. He watched me carefully, but not fearfully careful; guarded careful.

"What are you asking for?" he asked seriously. "I can't do anything if it goes against Aro. And if you plan on doing so, I'll have no choice but to turn you over."

I swallowed then, but I was fueled even more by that. Who cared? I didn't care if Aro would be upset. Because he wasn't going to find out. If Felix didn't want _anyone_ to know about my training, I was sure no one would know about this. Felix was the one I trusted the most to do this. An eye for an eye, right? This was for David, and the only surefire way to make him any safer was to ask this of Felix. But, I couldn't tell him what I knew. That would only get me busted.

"I want you to promise me something, too," I said lowly, unfazed. "If you can."

His face softened only slightly; I knew this had to be his Volturi stance if he wasn't letting his guard down.

"Go on," he answered, his voice becoming lower. I took a deep breath, hoping I could trust Felix.

"I'm worried about David. I'm not even allowed to see him, and I don't know what's happening to him right now, but I know it's not good. And I don't want Aro to hurt him. No matter what. He's my friend, and he's what's important to me. Do you get that?" I asked him strongly, making it clear that I was unfinished.

"It's quite obvious, yes," he hedged, studying my face. "Where is this going?"

"I understand Aro is your master, and you can't go against him," I continued. "It's obviously deviant of me to say that with you standing right here. But I trust you, Felix, and it makes me uneasy to not know if he's okay or not. I promised you something that you didn't want anyone, _anyone_ to know about. I'm asking you for the same thing. I want you to keep David safe, whatever that means. I want you to promise me that you'll make sure he's okay."

"You know," was all he said, his eyes narrowing slightly. But he wasn't accusing me, however; he was acknowledging something. At first, I didn't know what he was talking about. What did he mean, I knew? But when I went over his words again in my head, it suddenly clicked. It all flooded back.

The meeting from just a few hours ago came first, specifically Jane. Her lie. Me wondering why she lied for me. Her stepping forward, telling such a convincing story. Second, the day in the woods when Felix made me promise. The look in his eyes; the way they froze, the way he stared hard into my eyes. How serious he was. And third, his words now. It all clicked. It all made sense.

He had never been asking _me_ to promise not to tell anyone in the first place.

He had been asking _Jane_.

She had been there that day and I hadn't even known. He knew she could hear, but didn't want me to know she had been there.

I had been right.

"Oh my god," I whispered, sliding my eyes up to him in realization. I couldn't think. The only thing I _could_ think was that Jane now held something against me, and that I was dead for sure. My request seemed worthless now; I had no reason to have it fulfilled. I had just gotten myself into trouble by asking this of him, and I couldn't help but feel angry at myself for that. Why was I so stupid just now?

"Well, _now_ you know," he mumbled, half humorously.

"Is...Is she going to tell anybody? Now?" I squeaked. "I mean, she hates me, and it would only make sense for her to-"

He stopped me by putting his cold finger against my lips.

"She's not going to tell anyone. Even Aro," he said softly. "Aro is too fond of Jane to question her. Trust me, I know. And, as for you? Well...Alec is involved, subtly. She would never do it if it involved her brother."

I closed my eyes tight, chiding myself completely for my mistake. I was asking him to betray Aro even more with this, and that definitely would get me in trouble or killed now. I all but waited for him to voice my punishment or take me to Aro now. But at least I would probably be joined with David. It was the only upside.

"I'm-I'm sorry," I said lowly, trying to find words. "You don't have to do this, Felix. I was wrong, I'm just worried, and-"

Then his big hand was on my shoulder, emitting a shudder from me.

"I promise," he said solemnly. My eyes flew open and my head snapped up, almost bending all the way back from how tall he was; a whole foot (and one inch, now). What?

"What?" I asked, echoing my thoughts. "But I-"

His finger was on my lips again, his face turning hard now. I waited.

"I asked you to keep something from everyone, including my master," he voiced evenly, echoing my thoughts. "Not just Jane. You are right. It is only fair that you get something in return. You've kept your promise, and I've risked you already by putting this on your shoulders. And so, you have my word. I will protect David at your request and do all I can. Jane will not know about this. It will be between you and me."

A feeling of dread washed through me, then.

"But what about you?" I asked in a small voice. "Aren't I risking you, too?"

He smiled then, like I told the world's funniest joke.

"Oh, little woman," he said, patting my head. "You with your angel wings, always worrying about everyone else. I've been with the Volturi only a handful of centuries behind Alec and Jane. No need to worry about me. I'm bigger than all of them combined." He stage whispered the last part like it was a secret and then winked. I cracked a smile, but then it faded just as quick.

"I don't want you to go against Aro, though," I said quietly. "Isn't that...going against your family? Orders? And you're going against your family over me?"

"I'm not going against my family," he said strongly. "I'm helping part of my family. It would be much the same as a brother helping his sister without the help of the father. As long as she is under the brother's care, why would the father need to worry?"

I knew what he meant by that, and it made more sense when he said it like that. It made me feel a little bit better now, but I didn't consider Aro my family. He was hurting and torturing David into being something he wasn't, and that wasn't family to me. But, I knew Felix was doing this for me also because he now considered me family himself. And that was enough to leave me with a little bit of peace. I nodded.

"Just, don't hurt yourself," I added, even though it was impossible for Felix to get hurt. He was the strongest. He just smiled in understanding, although I think he wanted to roll his eyes.

"Now, go find Alec," he said, stepping away from me. "I've kept you long enough."

I was about to follow his order, but I looked back at the karaoke machine, then him, pushing my lips together. I saw his teeth glisten out of the corner of my eye.

"One more song?" I asked. One more would do me good, get the edge off.

"Absolutely," he agreed with his blinding teeth, his Volturi demeanor gone.

Five minutes later, I was making my up the stairs two at a time, buzzed and less edgy from the last song. When I reached my hallway, a tiny bundle of nervousness built up in me. My last encounter with Alec was still there in the air. I didn't know where he was, but would it be best to even find him right now? I'm sure he doesn't want to be around me, but I wasn't about to run back to Felix. I wished that I would have asked him to come with me now.

Ah, but what if Alec is busy right now? Maybe he is. If he needed to see me, he would've met me up here, right? I decided to head straight into the movie room; it wasn't hard for Alec to find me anywhere in here. I hesitantly opened the door, not knowing if anyone was in there, and luckily it was empty. I closed the door quietly behind me, and went over to the huge selection of DVDs against the wall. I picked a random one toward the top, and popped it in without looking at what it was. I went over and sank into the leather couch as the movie began.

But once I saw Alex Pettyfer doing push-ups in his boxers, I pressed my lips together at what movie it was.

 _Great._

What are the odds that I picked Beastly out of any other movie that I could have picked? I chose to watch it anyway, because I genuinely liked the movie and I hadn't set my eyes on a TV screen since before we had left America. I didn't count the day I watched Forrest Gump with Felix and Demetri because I hadn't watched much of the movie at all that day. Immediately, I paralleled Kyle Kingston to Alec. Kyle was conceited, proud, arrogant, and rich. Lindy was shy, smart, selfless and clever. I wasn't so sure that I was exactly like her, due to the fact that I didn't like to talk about myself at all, but she seemed close enough, if not smarter than me. I took another look at Kyle and noticed that he reminded me of someone.

It took me a few seconds to find Danny's face in my mind and notice quite a resemblance. Danny had been strikingly handsome just like Kyle, but not as arrogant, and his hair was shinier and coiffed where Kyle's was shaggy and styled down. In fact, when I thought about it, I wondered what it would have been like if he had been chosen instead of Ned. Would he have been that bad? Sure, he acted a little bit like Demetri, but he claimed to be serious about his work. Ah, Ned. I kind of missed him and wondered where he was, what happened to him. What happened to everyone...

It was fifteen minutes into the movie and I was completely engrossed.

 _Oh shoot, oh shoot, he's turning into the beast, here we go!_ I monologued to myself in excitement. I forgot all about what was going on around me, the troubling thoughts that plagued my mind earlier gone.

Which was why I was practically scared to death by Alec.

"Where have you been?" Alec asked, his nonchalant voice right in my ear. I jumped in my spot, my heart kick-started from his scare. My hand flew to my chest as he lithely jumped over the couch to stand in front of me.

"Jesus," I said right when I jumped, and a satisfied smile grew across his stupid, pretty face. Why was he so beautiful?

"No, but you may call me Alec," he replied, the laugh lingering behind it. "I find myself to come very close, though."

"It's not funny," I mumbled, moving my hand from my chest to pause the movie. "And I've been in here."

"What, sulking away in your human emotions?" he asked mundanely, looking at the TV. I just shrugged.

"It's just a movie," I said indifferently. "I wanted to watch one."

"You should have come to me first," he authorized, even though it sounded as dull and bored as Jane's. "I have to know where you are at all times, harmed or not. You are my responsibility. So, let me make myself very clear." He swooped down close to my face, sending a chilling breath of his scent in my nose. The sweet, tart berry was so tangible that I almost tasted it in that moment. A brief flavor touched my tongue, and it was much like his scent; cool, sweet, tart, like liquid ice that was berry flavored. I couldn't help the flush in my cheeks from his closeness and the skip in my heart from his scent. I was staring directly at an angel, a very seemingly unhappy angel, and it was always ironic how a flood of warmth came through me, despite the fact that he was always like that. My fingertips, my arms, my toes, my feet and the pit of my stomach all grew warm, and it seemed that my body deemed his mood irrelevant and only cared about having him near me. I tried to reprimand myself for reacting this way, but I was so concentrated on the way his hair swept across his dark brows and the way his lashes framed his crimson eyes and the way his full lips moved that I couldn't do it. I couldn't do anything but feel warm and keep my hand planted where it was on my chest so I wouldn't reach up and trace his features. A sneaky thought crept into my mind at that moment and wondered what it would be like if mine were to accidentally touch his...

 _Stop it_ , I snapped myself out of it, hoping I wasn't given away already. But who was I kidding, I was always given away because of my pulse. He used to take advantage of the way I reacted, after all. But lately, he hadn't been doing that.

"The next time you choose not to inform me of where you are," he spoke, introducing a dangerous edge. "Just remember that I won't be dragging your body out of a ditch. So, I suggest you make it easier for yourself and follow my orders. Got it?" He asked in a sickly sweet voice at the end with a grin. It was so believable that I almost thought he was being nice for those...one point five seconds.

"Okay," I said, not expecting it to come out in a whisper, but it probably did because I was so breathless. But the shocking thing was, I didn't feel scared at that moment. Not really, anyway. I heard the coldness of his words, but they didn't register and I didn't care. It was the stupid warmth throughout my body that made me want to promise him. Because I'd already pushed him to his breaking point, and I couldn't afford to again. "I'll go to you first next time."

He didn't say anything and stared at me blankly for a moment, and he was out of my face. He stood in front of me for a moment more before, shockingly, sitting on the opposite side of the couch. He didn't speak, and neither did I. I silently pressed play on the remote again and tried to focus on the movie, but that had become difficult him four feet away.

And twenty minutes later, it was still difficult because I had questions bubbling up in my mind and they were about to burst from my mouth. Plus, my body was buzzing with some strange warmth and magnetizing pull towards Alec that I couldn't explain. This hadn't happened before. My arm moved on its own accord and pressed pause, the picture stuck with Neil Patrick Harris looking up naturally because he was blind. I counted to ten in my mind before I was going to look at Alec, but by the time I got to five, he was already doing that. I copied his movement.

"What is it?" he asked, bored as ever but with a wary edge. He glanced down. "You're on your way to breaking that."

I hadn't realized I was squeezing the remote so hard and opened my hand, mindlessly letting it slip out of my hand while I scooted on my hands and knees to his side. I stopped about three feet away, sitting on my feet as he watched me carefully as if I was an amusing wild animal. The warm, buzzing electricity, while yelling at me to move even closer, seemed satisfied to be at least this close.

He didn't say anything, and neither did I for a moment. How long did we stare at each other? It felt like years, but it was probably only for thirty seconds before he said something.

"Breathe, human," he reminded me coolly, and I swear I saw him swallow. At his words, I exhaled. Whoops. He smirked, but it went away as quickly as it appeared when I saw the air hit his face. I didn't know why, but seeing him react to my breathing, or rather, my scent, gave me just the bravery I needed.

"I want to talk," I finally said, confused by this weird excitement. Me, wanting to talk to Alec? God, what was wrong with me right now? This was a total 180 from what I had been feeling earlier.

"Talk," Alec repeated, like it was a foreign word. I nodded, trying to hide my eagerness. I was sick. That's my story and I'm sticking to it until otherwise investigated.

"And what is it that you would like to discuss with me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Again, I wasn't sure if I was supposed to notice, but he'd considerably moved closer to the arm of the chair. Because of how close I was. I didn't care; the buzzing going through my body was doing all the work, apparently.

"I want to talk about..." _Us._ Us? Why I wanted to say that, I had no idea. His face was the same, and wow, it was so cute. _Sick. I'm sick. I should be in a mental hospital for this._ "What do I have to do?" I blurted. His brow raised even further, either amused or just as confused as I was. Then his eyes turned guarded and he slowly, _slowly_ , as if he was afraid to do the action, lifted his hand to my throat. His fingers brushed across my throat, and despite them being unnaturally cold, left a trail of undeniably electric warmth across my skin. I think I shivered.

" _Breathe_ ," he said again, almost as if he were commanding himself. His face stayed the same, stony and blank, but his eyes told me all I needed to know. He dropped his hand, plastering a smirk in place while I inhaled this time and made sure that I was doing it this time. "What do you mean exactly?" He asked disinterestedly.

"I mean with the mission," I finally answered after allowing myself to breathe for a minute. "What do I need to do?"

"You only need to distract him and lure him to you," he answered boredly with an edge. Yeah Alec, I don't like the idea either, okay? "Is that all?"

"But...how?" I asked dumbly, distracted by the sound of his voice, his face, the color of his eyes...why did I want to hear and see it all so suddenly? Yeah, everybody in this castle was beyond beautiful. I could easily ogle Demetri or Felix, but I didn't. Nothing was there. Something was _here_ , between the two of us. And quite frankly, it was both enticing me and scaring me.

"Are you making up things to say so I'll keep speaking to you?" and there was amused Alec again. Meanwhile, I was thrown off by his question. I was not! Well...was I? No! I honestly had questions. Don't be distracted, come on...ah, where's my bravery? What did he say? What was I saying? How could he think that?

"No," I said forcefully, collecting myself mentally, bracing myself for what I was about to say. "I mean it, really. I mean, you've seen me. I have no...skills." The last word came out like a question. At this point, I expected him to agree and throw insults out. Instead, he laughed. He _laughed_! The boy was laughing. Which, of course, only made it worse for me because it was the most incredible sound I ever heard. Pair that with his stupid perfect white teeth that glistened in the light, and you have me in a puddle. I think I could have collapsed at the sound, and I luckily didn't. I knew I was already blushing furiously, averting my eyes down.

"You don't need acquired _skills_ to do what you've been asked," he answered, his voice sounding even more musical since he just laughed.

"Okay, then what?" I asked a bit impatiently, daring to look back at him. There he was, studying me again, but only for a split second before answering. He was serious again. Mildly. He looked like I just missed the obvious answer. I was pretty much clueless, so I waited. Carefully and slowly again like before, he watched me as his eyes matched his movements. His face stayed the same stony expression as he looked over my face and reached his arm up again like before. Immediately, my pulse picked up again and the warm current in my body buzzed in reaction. I locked eyes with his as fingers brushed across my cheek, causing a bigger flush in them.

"What is this?" he asked like a teacher, sounding so strained that it came out as a whisper.

"Um..." I mumbled, too distracted. The only clue was his eyes where his hand was and I got it. "A blush?"

He nodded, his eyes trailing to my neck. His hand followed suit, moving so slowly, like he knew he shouldn't be doing it. I saw major conflict in his face then, as his hand hovered right below my collarbone; where my pulse was hammering away. His eyes shifted up to mine just as his palm rested on my chest.

Now I really couldn't think. The feel of his hand completely, like this, only increased whatever this feeling was. It was fire. It was electricity. It was something like a raw live wire and a magnet going off and anchoring me to him, to his touch, to his very being. I barely felt the temperature of his hand once again because of the incredible warmth spreading from his touch, and it felt...right. Good. The opposite of what my situation was. The opposite of what he showed himself to be. I didn't want his hand to move, and I wasn't afraid, despite the look on his face. It was conflict. It was contorted. It was shock. It was confusion. It was...want?

"And what is this?" he asked again, carefully. This time, I already knew the answer and was confident.

"My heartbeat."

Then he was leaning close to my face, and my body seemed to move closer to him on its own as well. Only a little, however.

"And that's all you need," he answered, and then his hand was gone, along with his close proximity. The warmth almost sizzled out immediately by the loss of his hand and left the cold feeling behind. I couldn't help but put my hand over the spot and shiver at how it made me feel. Warm. Good. Safe. Right.

When I looked up to meet eyes with him again, he wasn't there. I looked all around the room.

I was alone.

XxX

 _"I push the pedals!" I exclaimed._

 _"No, I push the pedals!" my brother exclaimed as the bottoms of his feet pushed against mine on the couch in our living room. It was my turn to push his feet now. I pushed my feet against his sock-covered ones._

 _"I push the pedals!" I said again. I was in my old neighborhood. At home. I laughed as we pushed each other's feet back and forth, yelling the made up phrase. My dad passed behind my arm of the couch, on his way to the laundry room._

 _"Ow!" I said as one of my feet slipped off of his and he hit me in the no-no area. My hand flew to cover it. "You kicked me!"_

 _Then the little kicking fest began._

 _"Daaaad!" I yelled as we kicked, and rolled off the couch to run into the laundry room._

 _Then it all changed._

 _"I'm coming!" I heard an older voice. My brother. The scene was no longer the same. It was grey. It was darker. Dead grass at my feet. Barely visible. Blurry. I had the knowledge that I was running. Or was he running? Someone was running, but I wasn't moving._

 _"I'm coming!" He yelled again._

 _"Travis!" I yelled at the grey field. "Travis!" My throat formed a lump. I felt my face crumple. I felt it. He was close, but where? I looked around. I ran around this grey, dark field, but the scenery was just the same._

 _"Cheyenne!" He yelled again._

 _"Travis!"_

 _"Cheyenne! Cheyenne..."_

 _His voice changed, another one blending with it. Another male. My brother's voice faded as the other one took over, repeating my name. The field closed around me as it faded away like vapor._

I snapped my eyes open, shooting halfway upright. I blinked, feeling a familiar wetness in them.

"You were screaming," came Alec's voice softly beside me. I whipped my head around, my heart pounding from the dream. He stood a few feet away from the couch and I slumped back on it, closing my eyes at the ceiling. That was the first dream I had of my brother directly since I've been here. I didn't count the dream where he was thrown in a pile along with Alec and everyone else because that was too horrible to think back on. It felt so real, being at home again, my dad alive, happy, carefree. My crying and yelling had broke beyond my dream state, and I didn't find myself being that embarrassed; I was too confused and a little distraught by the dream itself. Why was he yelling like that? More importantly, why was he yelling that he was coming? It didn't matter, I decided. It was just a dream, a sad one. It couldn't have been more than that. I didn't know where my brother was and I never would until I escaped. Until then, I hoped he was safe.

"What time is it?" I asked sleepily, rubbing my hand on my forehead. It was warm, along with the rest of me. In fact, I had a thin sheen of sweat that I could feel on my back through my shirt. Great.

"After two in the afternoon," he replied. Same tone. Bored. Stony. I calculated my time; I had slept for at least three hours, and I hadn't meant to. After Alec was gone, I decided to finish the movie, but I didn't make it ten minutes into that. I knew staying up with David would catch up to me; now I was positive I wouldn't be sleeping until late tonight. Or at all.

Suddenly I was scooped up by cold arms, and my own instinctively looped around the person's neck. Alec was carrying me. Thanks, heart. Thanks. The past few hours came back to me then, remembering how he'd touched me, and that warm, electric, good feeling wired its way through my body again, buzzing with satisfaction.

"Where are we going?" I asked tentatively, staring at his jaw. The same expression on his face. Blank. The trip was short, as he only walked to my door and dropped me in my room. Once again, my body hated that.

"Get dressed," was all he said before shutting the door with a click. Confusedly, I did what he said. He didn't sound mad. I couldn't tell how he sounded. But I knew he was taking me somewhere if he was telling me to change.

When I opened the closet doors, I was surprised to find...well, more clothes, but...not the kind I would actually wear. My closet was constantly changing, but today it was...toned down, to say the least. All of the dresses were pushed to the back racks, and instead of the lacy, satin, silk, whatever other kinds of fancy tops that were usually there, there were sweaters and tees of all kinds. The kind you wore for fall. Cashmere, wool, cotton, green, black, grey, brown, even mauve. Er, wait. I squinted closer. Berry. I did a 180 and looked at the pants. The skirts were in the back (like I'd ever wear those), the leggings were still in their places, but more jeans were added. Black, stone washed, denim, and even a few white pairs were there. I wasn't sure why Heidi kept changing my closet so much, but I mentally thanked her for it and happily swiveled back around to yank the green sweater off its hanger first. I grabbed a pair of the Nike leggings that Felix had stocked for me (they were still here, so I assumed Heidi didn't mind them) and changed my clothes. The sweater, even though it looked itchy, was actually comfortable, fitting my body perfectly. It actually almost resembled a hoodie with its strings attached to its barely-cowled neck.

I decided to throw my hair up in a bun, not wanting to deal with it, and met Alec at the door. I shut the door behind me and noticed him glancing at...well, all of me. It felt like an eternity he spent doing that, looking over my face like before. His lips twitched. Whether I was supposed to see it or not, he pretended as if it didn't happen and motioned with his head for me to follow him.

Which is when I noticed what he was wearing and shocked myself by gawking. He had a sweater on, too, although not thick like mine. His was something you'd see right out of Hollister or Ralph Lauren. It was simple, just a dark blue cotton sweater, which complimented his skin perfectly, and dare I say it, allowed me to see the carved stone muscles that made up his figure. He wasn't huge like Felix or even Demetri; he was leaner than them; almost lanky like a normal teenage boy, but with the exception of his immortality, he had a lean build of his own. The dark wash jeans he had on only helped emphasize that.

I followed him quickly before he caught me staring, trying to pretend like I wasn't just checking him out. What was wrong with me? I never checked guys out, _never_.

... _confines of the castle_ , I tried to convince myself. _Confines of the castle. Everyone's enchanted by vampires, not just you._

The doting smile I spotted out of the corner of my eye told me everything I needed to know. Crap.

Not even one minute into the car ride, I jumped right into conversation.

"So where are we going, exactly?" I asked slowly, enjoying the good view of nature once more. Trees, rocks, grass, clouds, the sky...fresh air. Movement. I noted the partly cloudy weather and wondered why he chose now to come out. He'd been out during a sunny day before, the first time I was allowed out, but kept in the shade. Were we even allowed to leave like this without asking Aro? Wait. He was in the highest position, of course he probably was, being the most dangerous and all.

 _Dangerous, right,_ the little voice piped up. _Not around you._

I rolled my eyes mentally.

"Nowhere in particular," he answered casually, and before I could wonder aloud any more, he surprised me by asking me something for once. "So when did you learn self defense?"

I froze. Shhhhhhhhhiiii...take mushrooms. That wasn't expected. The memory flashed in my head instantly. It was my mistake for exposing it, but also, I couldn't help that it was a automatic reaction. Felix was teaching me all of these moves. What was I supposed to do, not use them? I needed them now, anyway. For my escape. I also needed to come up with an answer.

"My brother," I answered, attempting to sound as casual as him. "We took classes."

"That's a lie," he accused. This is why he was taking me somewhere? He wanted to interrogate me on this? How fair. How very fair.

"I'm not lying," I said casually again. "You can't just assume I'm lying because Aro's gift doesn't work on me, Alec."

"Oh? You seemed so prepared that day on your _tour bus_ ," he accused again evenly.

I barely shuddered at that night now, mostly because he's been so close to my face now and already given me so many threats. That night was nothing now compared to what I've experienced for the last month and a half.

"You attacked me, what was I supposed to do?" I retorted, turning my head to him. "You were about to eat me or kill me."

"That's no valid excuse," he said, unfazed. "I have been watching you for all the time you've been here. I know enough to sense the differences. You react differently."

I put that as a note for later; so he _does_ have interest in me?

"I was pinned to the wall, incase you _don't_ remember," I defended myself, shocking myself at how good I was doing in doing so. "How am I supposed to match your strength? No human can take on a vampire." I crossed my arms, my heart thumping, although feeling rather slow. I was surprised myself that I was being so savage again. But it was the truth! A human can't go against a vampire's strength! ...even though I was lying to cover my butt. Again.

He didn't say anything; he pursed his lips. I saw his hands tighten on the steering wheel for a moment before loosening them. He was getting angry. Again.

Or so I thought until he blew out a breath and flashed his strange, purple contact-covered eyes, and stupid amused smile at me. They didn't fit him; I liked the red better. Did they know that the purple didn't fit in? I wondered then why they chose blue contacts instead of others...

"You are seriously a frustrating girl," he commented, his eyes on the road again. "You're certainly smarter than I took you for."

"Nice to know you think I'm not smart," I mumbled sarcastically, looking out my own window. Yeah, I probably wasn't as smart as Camilla, but I knew my facts. I knew I was an observer. I was smart in my own way, to an extent. But it was my turn now; this time, I went on before he could continue. "It was a reflex reaction. I learned it in the class."

"So you've used it before," he inquired. What was this, an interview?

"Why is this so important to you?" I pressed, looking out the windshield now. I would use my peripheral vision instead of looking right at him. "Where are we going?"

"I never said it was important," he answered casually. "But it's important for me to know information for your safety." He rolled his eyes to me like it was obvious.

"Or," he continued, giving me a cunning smile. "Maybe I'm curious."

My first thought was as to why he would be curious about me. My second thought was _darn you, heart for beating like that!_ My third thought went to my cheeks for heating up. He was confusing me.

"Why?" was all I could ask. And darn him, he liked my reactions, because his smile grew into a stupid victorious grin.

"You're very frustrating, and annoying," he started, keeping his grin. "But you have more...potential than what I gave you credit for."

So, he didn't hate me? Was he telling me he liked me? Wait, what? Alec? The most dangerous, lethal, womanizing vampire liking me? What was this? Was this really happening? No, wait, don't think too deeply into this. Oh, but I can't help it. The magical, weird electrical buzzing through my body told me I couldn't deny this with logic any longer. It was a sign. It was something. But Alec wouldn't tell me what it was, darn him.

"So much for killing me," I barely mumbled.

"Why didn't you do it, anyway? Y'know, kill me. That night." I continued before he could speak again.

"Did you want me to?" he asked, all casual again, like he got asked this question everyday. I looked at him like he was crazy. His face was serious; not angry serious, but like he really meant it. He glanced at me, then the road again. "That's what I thought."

"That doesn't answer my question," I replied, shock lacing my voice. He just shrugged. Confusion and frustration flared in me, and I became brave again.

"Well fine, then you get to answer one of mine," I shot out quickly. "Why are _you_ so confusing?"

"Confusing?" he asked innocently. Oh, bull. I looked at him with a straight face. "Tell me how I am confusing."

Oh _come on_! Was this guy serious? That just made me even more frustrated.

"You're joking," I exclaimed. "You drop me in my room, tell me to get dressed, don't tell me _where we're going_ , don't tell me _why_ we're going wherever we're going, and you ask me questions out of the blue like, 'Where did you learn self-defense', get angry at my answer, and then you're like, 'Oh, maybe I'm curious'." I ranted slowly but heatedly, trying to imitate his voice at the end.

"That's not confusing _at all_ ," I finished sarcastically, my cheeks heated from my frustration. I didn't realize he parked the car until now. The car was off, key in ignition, while his hands laid in his lap.

"If you _must_ know, I was going to take you here to get you an iPod," he explained calmly. "And as I explained before, I need to know everything for your safety. No matter what."

I opened my mouth to remind him of what he said to me earlier about finding my body in a ditch, but he held up his hand and continued, his eyes flashing.

"And that's on you, not me, if you decide not to tell me on your whereabouts. That is why I stress the importance of knowing where you are, especially right now with our situation. I do my job effectively and thoroughly. Do you know what would happen to you if he got to you?" He spoke sternly.

I slumped in my seat. I was at a loss for words; I couldn't believe I got so mad just now. He was right. There was a vampire lurking around, and for all we knew, he could be watching us now. If I didn't tell Alec where I was, one slip up could cause me to die. And I didn't need that. Not with David stuck in the castle alone. I truly understood now, but I didn't need him to say what would happen to me; it was obvious. I fought the urge to reach out and touch him, and opted for looking him in the eyes.

"I understand," I said softly. "You're right. I'm sorry."

I looked down to unbuckle my seatbelt and got ready to get out of the car, until I noticed he hadn't moved. I looked at him again, wondering if I wasn't supposed to get out yet. No, that wasn't it at all; he was just studying me again, his head tilted to the side slightly.

"What?" I pressed. The way he was staring was making me nervous. Actually, anyone staring at me made me nervous due to my want to not drive attention toward myself. Anywhere but on me was great.

" _Now_ ," he mused, mumbling so low that I almost couldn't hear it. If the car hadn't been off, it would've been lost. "You are _way_ smarter than I thought before."

I darted my eyes to the right and then back to him.

"Thanks...?" I slowly mustered in confusion while he studied me intensely for a moment more, his eyes narrowing like he was focusing on a particular point. I still mentally commented on how I preferred the red in his eyes to the strange purple, and then wondered what I did to make him think I was as smart as he thought I was. What did I do?

I kept wondering other things as he finally got out of the car and told me to follow him. Sure, he answered my questions about why we were here, and basically hinted that he had an interest in me, but I was also wondering why he didn't bring up the Camilla thing. That was the question I wanted to ask the most now. But, I couldn't press it any further right now. I decided to just be happy that I got _some_ of the answers I wanted and enjoy the fact that I was out and about, where people were. Annnnnnd, that he wasn't exactly angry right now. That was always good.

When I set eyes on where he was leading me, I was amazed. This place wasn't the same as town square; this place was different. It was bigger, spacier, more extravagant. There were more shops, more colors, more updated revenues. People filled the cobblestone streets, bustling to and fro, looking at clothes, picking up fruits, letting their children chase each other in the wide open space, kissing each other's cheeks. Conjoined shops were lit up with colors, advertising their purposes. It was alive. Human. Other people were around me, breathing, enjoying their lives like normal human beings. I felt relieved and uplifted, taking in the fresh air and breathing it fully.

"Come this way," Alec said, weaving me through a crowd of people. I stayed close behind, whipping my head left and right to try and see all the stores that we passed. And, I tried to ignore the feeling that our closeness was emitting in my stomach. My hand itched to hold onto his, and I shoved it behind my back and pressed it hard into my skin so I wouldn't do that. I wondered again if he felt it, too. Was he going as crazy as I was?

I peeked up at him; well, if he was, he wasn't showing any signs. Plus, I couldn't see him anyway; his back was to me. I decided to look away from that image to prevent myself from bumping into anyone; I was surprised I hadn't. Or maybe Alec had just prevented me from doing so. I took a look around as we passed all kinds of shops and eateries again, and remembered that I was going to tell Alec that I didn't really want an iPod. Truly, I didn't; there was no need for one. It would only trigger memories, and I didn't want that. Plus, I was sure I would never use it; not with all the things I did lately to keep me busy. All of that, including the fact that I didn't want him to spend money on me. And I was just about to tell him, when a particular store caught my eye.

A music store.

"Alec," I voiced in wonder, not bothering to hide my interest. I stopped right in my tracks, causing little exclaims and mumbles from people behind me. My eyes were locked on that store, knowing there were things in there that I would love. He stopped immediately, whipping around fast. His eyes followed my gaze to the trinket-lit store.

"Are you sure you want to go in there?" he asked as if there were better things to see. I didn't even take my eyes off the place.

"Yes," I said immediately, an automatic smile forming on my lips. "It won't take long. I want to see what's inside."

"Why don't you wait until we've gone to the Apple store first?" he asked blandly. Of course he wasn't planning on making any more than that one stop. Instead of telling him that I didn't want the iPod, I blurted out a more elaborate reason.

"Don't I deserve to at least look around before I go back to being confined from civilization?" I asked innocently,turning my head to him. It was true. I craved a buzzing crowd at this moment, despite being an introvert. I needed some sort of sanity. He rolled his eyes, which I wish I didn't think was cute. But it was. It _was_ cute. He looked at me with his stony expression.

"Fine," he agreed. "I will allow you that. Come on."

Heading towards the music shop, we were just feet away from the entrance when a ring tone came from Alec's jeans pocket and he stopped to answer it. "Felix?" He was all business now. He listened on the other end for a few seconds before his face hardened, and without looking at me, grabbed my wrist and pulled me to the front of the store where the huge painted window stood. The entrance was right next to it.

"One moment," he said evenly, taking the iPhone away from his ear and looking at me. He studied my face, his devoid of any emotion at all. "I have to talk to Felix. You will go in that store and nowhere else, do you hear me?"

I nodded immediately, itching to go in already. I was practically bouncing, but he didn't seem to care. His voice was completely serious.

"Go in. I will be there in a minute."

I couldn't help but grin at him and head straight into that paradise, not even bothering to wonder what the phone call was about.

 **APOV**

 **Because I love you all so much and I know you're dying for some APOV :D Admittedly, I'm terrible at processing how he would possibly feel, but I did my best. Alec's POV is not something I focus on a lot; I only use it when it's necessary. So please enjoy what I attempted to write :D**

"Felix?" I answered shortly. He only called if it was urgent. All of us were keeping a close watch for the predator's scent, which I was smelling for when we stepped out of the castle. It was proved difficult with _her_ beside me.

"Alec," Felix answered back just the same. "I have news on the unidentified predator. Are you alone right now?" I instantly was on high alert, taking a silent whiff in of the air. I couldn't smell him; the air was perfumed in delicious human scents, one in which caused a dry, scorching desire in my throat with each intake.

 _Damn it, Felix._

My senses were growing and fabricating towards her, her being, her warmth. To protect her and _be_ with her was what they wanted. All of my promises were made equally out of my duty and this new urge, and I had become too close. I unknowingly let my resolve slip; that never happened. Not in the history of my existence. The mention of Camilla arose something in my mind that was unsettling. I knew right as it had come out of her mouth that Felix had been speaking to her. He shared with her a personal piece of my life, and I would have gladly brushed it off had it been anyone else. I wouldn't have cared less three weeks ago about Camilla arriving and coming only to have our way with each other before separating for decades more. It was what we were accustomed to. That was all changed when I heard Cheyenne speak her name. The fact that _care_ and _emotion_ had brushed into my mind, my millennium old brain, perplexed me. And discomforted me.

 _Not the issue_ , I thought. _Focus._

The scent hadn't been familiar to me when we set out to hunt for it, which urked me, because it was always the easiest task. However, I knew how old the scent was, and I calculated that. It wasn't any more than a week old. Always I was checking the air for the scent without comprehending as I watched the human sleep, and I begrudgingly couldn't shake the fact that it, like her, had triggered this sense by being on the search for her.

 _Keep telling yourself that_ , it sang. I growled, so low as the human wouldn't hear.

A warm current intensified my senses, my body, my mind, as if she were a part of me now. One wave connected us both, and I knew that from the soft, warm, comfortable fragility of her skin I felt against mine hours ago. I could even taste it on my tongue; her potent, earthy, cooling sweet scent. God, I had never tasted anything so pure. The gods must be punishing me. Her scent punished and tempted me every single moment I was in her presence. I loved it and I despised it. I longed to bring her wrist to my nose and take in one long inhale before tasting what pulsed underneath, but I knew better. That taste of forbidden fruit dangled above me, begging me to taste, to savor, to test its strength for my body. I believed for one eighth of a second that her blood could turn any immortal human with one drop. It was that pure.

But only for an eighth of a second. I was sealed this fate much too long ago.

I glanced at her carefully, allowing myself only that. She was fragile, helpless, soft...beautiful. I in no way could leave her alone. I fought with myself that it was my duty rather than an incompetent desire that I had, and no emotions needed to waver this right now. Nothing could be risked; every step had to be taken carefully, meticulously, which I already knew I could do flawlessly. I could do it with one of my own senses cut off, if that were even possible for me.

"This is urgent, Alec, I need to speak with you now," Felix added sharply, even though only a few seconds had passed. **(A/N: Despite all that stuff I wrote up there being all long and stuff, you guys know that a vampire's mind works a light year and infinity faster than a human's, so their thoughts and processes go relatively fast. In reality, all of his thoughts raced together in a matter of at least ten seconds or less. Okay, enjoy! xD)**

"One moment," I replied quickly, looking at her fully this time, without allowing any emotion run through me. It proved almost difficult with my senses on high alert and my unfortunate need to protect her. I made sure to get it out fast so she would go. "I have to talk to Felix. You will go in that store and nowhere else, do you hear me?"

Her immediate response and rushing, pulsing blood gave me the easy benefit of the doubt, but I would watch her still just as closely. And menacingly, I couldn't help but think it was adorable to see her this way; elated, her enchanting green eyes with the perfect accent of the gold ring alight upon seeing something she loved, and her cheeks washed pink.

"Go in. I will be there in a minute," I ordered so she would leave already. She wasted no time, either.

As soon as she passed the entrance, I placed the cell phone back to my ear, watching her move throughout the store. I moved closer, my eyes dodging all the invisible minuscule scratches in the glass.

"What did you find?" I asked impatiently.

"Demetri found his scent out by the trees, ten miles away. He disappeared before we could catch him. He's fast."

"Who?" I pressed.

"We're unsure, Alec. The scent vanished before we were allowed to scope it out. But it's a good opportunity. Aro has requested that we go immediately with his operation to find him."

I closed my eyes tightly, turning fifteen degrees away from the window. No way in hell. I gave brief, uncaring smiles to a few human girls fawning over me not even two feet away so they would carry on.

"When?" I snapped under my breath, too low for human ears. "I want this done quick."

"Tonight, as early as possible. As soon as it becomes dark," he answered without missing a beat. "But, since you're out right now, that changes it. Do you smell anything?"

"No," I answered quickly. "But if I do..."

"Call me immediately. We'll discuss with Aro. We're surrounding the area now. If you do, we'll have to track him further and see where he goes. If he stays close, we'll have to go tonight. He won't touch her, Alec." He assured at the end.

"I know," I replied darkly, lifting my eyes open, seeing a flash of red across my vision. "And I know you won't bother making any more bets about her and Camilla, either."

He cursed.

 **(A/N: I jumped around a lot in this POV, so there weren't all of the details from specific events. I just wanted to get this conversation in with Felix so you'd know what's up. Sorry for all the details and if they don't make sense. I picked a place to go back to so they'd run with his current thoughts, but that turned out to be super long, so, heh. And I jumped a lot from moment to moment. I wanted to just get this outta the way xD Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it xD moving on! P.S this phone conversation does continue. I just didn't want to type out all those dark threats and rage he was going to spew at Felix :D cuz we all know where that's going! :D P.S.S. the music store and venue are made up. Not very creative, I just typed out what I imagined.)**

 **CPOV**

I liked this store as soon as I set foot in it. It was wide and long, and there was music everywhere. Shelves upon shelves of CD's lined the store like a library, and there was even an old jukebox by the checkout, which was currently playing the provided music. Records were mounted on the wall, most with Italian names that I had never heard of. There were some American names on there that I spotted, though. The tile floor was white, and the walls painted different colors. The wall behind the cashier was a deep red; the one next to it on the right was dark green; the back wall was splattered in different colors with a light blue base, and the fourth one had splatters on it as well, but with a darker base. Browns, blacks, and yellows. Signatures were also littered across this wall in white; famous ones. Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Domenico Modugno, Fiorella Mannoia, Prince, and too many others to name.

I looked around the store and picked a place to dive in. Maybe I could find something for both me and David, since I had no chance to listen to the radio these days. I set off in a search for the hard rock music, scanning the small, short spines of the CD cases. I held a few bands in mind, closely watching for any familiar names to pop out. I had made my way through one aisle and moved onto the next aimlessly, when I heard something going on near the end of the long aisle. It sounded like laughing, but not the friendly kind. Words in Italian were spoken tauntingly. Naturally, I looked in the direction of them to investigate.

A young girl, looking no older than fourteen or fifteen with light brown, slightly wavy hair that spilled onto the tops of her arms, a light pink T-shirt and a pretty face, was being taunted by four more girls, one of which did all the talking while the other three did the laughing. They looked slightly different. And by slightly different, I meant like rebels. The leader, I assumed she was, had long, sleek, straight black hair, parted right down the middle of her head, heavy eye makeup, although done perfectly, signature Italian brown eyes, a slender face, and a perfect cupid's bow upper lip and equally proportionate bottom lip to match. She was just about the same height as the girl. She couldn't have been any taller than five feet and four inches, but she did have boots on, even though the heel wasn't very big; it only gave her an inch.

I didn't understand what she was bothering the girl about, but the leader was pointing at the CD the girl held in her hands in a judging manner and her eyebrow was arched while she smiled. The girl's face was sad and she was shuffling back uncomfortably. I heard her sniff and saw her eyes avert down to the floor as the girls laughed and the leader of the pack knocked it out of her hands. The girl then raised her voice and said a few words to her, which I assumed as something along the lines of "stop!" or "Cut it out!". The leader baby-talked to her and messed with her now, pinching her cheeks.

 _What the crap?_ I thought. _The heck is she doing?_

This wasn't right; it was actually one of the most bothersome things to me. I wanted to stop her and help the girl, and I would. She didn't deserve to be treated like that; no one did. It was plain crazy to me how kids did this to each other. I've been through it myself, and I had nothing but compassion. Not that the leader was a kid; she was obviously older than the girl, but looked younger than me, maybe seventeen. Before I knew it, I was walking over there, a small bundle of nerves building up inside me. I haven't done this much before. Wow, and I thought Felix's training would have given me some confidence. Nope.

"Hey," I voiced to get her attention. "Knock it off." I moved in front of the girl, who rubbed her cheek and sniffled again, lowering her eyes to the floor.

"Who the fuck are you?" she snapped in her Italian accent, jerking her head up at me. She crossed her arms and leaned her weight on her right leg. She tilted her head back slightly to speak to the others. "Look. it's an _American_." She smiled tartly, and her friends snickered while she looked me up and down.

"I'm just telling you to stop. She's just a kid, leave her alone," I told her.

The leader took a slow step forward, staring hard into my eyes. She looked at me like I was nothing, and apparently like she'd seen some stuff. She'd probably been in more fights than the kids from my school combined. She probably wouldn't have even been afraid of Felix. Well, neither was I, but that was different.

" _Ohhhhh,_ yeah?" she challenged, raising her black arched eyebrow. "I think you better watch your mouth, bitch."

"I'm just telling you to leave her alone," I repeated, shrugging and holding back the urge to flinch at the name she spewed at me. I checked on the girl behind me. She looked to the leader and then me sheepishly, and I noticed then on her cheeks was a light dusting of freckles that made her light brown, caramel eyes stand out. I asked her softly if she was okay, not knowing if she knew English, but her small nod told me yes. I gave her a small sympathetic smile in return and patted her back, but the leader grabbed my shoulder and shoved it back so I would face her.

"Hey. I'm talking to-" she started, but my hand shot out and grabbed her wrist and bent it toward her face; a simple defense move. I didn't even have time to react to it happening on its own. My body reacted before my mind knew what was happening. She shoved me away with furious eyes, and for a smaller girl, she had force. I feared misstepping, but my body held its own and recovered my steps. I stepped at an angle back away from her so I wouldn't hit the girl I was defending. I eyed her, seeing her face startled at the altercation. She looked back at me, startled, but her eyes stayed mostly on the leader. The girls behind her moved to possibly come for me, but stayed back. I kept my stance, slightly bending my knees but otherwise looking casual. Felix told me you never want to have your fists or body obvious because the enemy would suspect your moves. You needed to be ready for anything.

" _Smettila, lasciarla in pace!_ " The young girl exclaimed weakly to the leader, taking a step forward. Tears were gathering in her eyes. The leader snapped something in Italian back at her, barely taking her eyes off of me, an angry scoff coming out of her mouth. Oh, she was ticked. She moved in to attack me, then.

"Go," I ordered the girl, glancing at her. "Get out of here." She looked at me hesitantly as I blocked the leader's swinging arm, and then I couldn't focus on her anymore. My body, along with my mind, were in defense mode. _Newly_ defense mode, since I never fought before.

"I'm not fighting you," I tried to tell her as I fought the reflex to punch and swerved away from another one of hers.

"Scared of me, _puttana_? _Ciao_ , that's what I thought," she said smugly with an equally smug smile to match. Her lips puckered as she gave me a once over and shoved me once more. I hardly moved, but I stepped back as she kept moving forward with an amused smile. The girls followed suit, giggling at the little game.

"Come on, fight me," she taunted sourly, her smile gone. "Since you wanna be in my way now. Let's see what you got, _American girl_." Another push. More laughs and added taunts from her gang. I shook my head, sighing.

"No," I refused gently. "I'm not gonna fight you." My body was tensed up to fight, but I wasn't about to cause a scene. There wasn't any reason to fight; she just wanted to start one. Where was Alec? Maybe I could leave. I could just walk away, right? I took in my surroundings, noting how far away I was from where the girl used to be. I didn't see her anymore, so I assumed she did what I said and left. Good.

The leader threw a punch at me again. _Swerve_. This time, my fist shot out on its own accord like lightning and I realized that my fist had connected with her cheek. My hands were reflexively held up in defense. And, I was screwed now.

That's when the real fighting began. I backed up as she lolled her head back towards me, holding her cheek. Her glare turned murderous, and she completely unraveled herself, her fists flying towards my face all at once. She threw out multiple punches, her fists swinging left, right, up, straight, which I effectively blocked and-sort of accidentally-returned with another quick-snapping punch.

My back hit something hard that immediately gave way, and I registered that it was a door. A back door. A way out. I quickly spun out of it, backing up out of store, the leader charging after me. I didn't look at my surroundings, but I knew it was empty, secluded. No people were around, and the space was wide. Gray to my right, gray to my left, pavement beneath my feet, the sun behind them. We were either in an alley, or just a beat down part of more shops.

"You are _dead_ ," she seethed, her fist burning with the rage to hit me again. She lunged at me, her friends following suit. I didn't even realize how well my body had memorized these techniques until now. This action was foreign and new to me, and I didn't know where to go with it, what to think. I mean, really the only thing I wanted to do was immediately apologize, but I continued to fight.

She screeched at me in Italian, and my body timed my actions on its own as I quickly swiveled 180 degrees and my foot nailed her in the jaw. Then her crew advanced on me, leaving me bombarded. I sprung into action, becoming more aware of what my body was doing. A dirty blonde girl, who was the tallest of them all, made it to me first, swinging her long arm at me. I ducked, and I couldn't help the amount of force I put into my following punch. Her head snapped back, and the next girl rammed into me with her body, effectively knocking me away from the tall girl. I stumbled back, bracing myself with my feet, then swiveled around, my leg automatically swooping up to kick her right in the stomach. She doubled over while another girl jumped onto my back, her arms locking around my neck.

Instantly, I bent my knees and threw her over my shoulder, keeping a grip on her arms. I locked them straight out, my foot securing a place on her shoulder. My body alertedly turned around on its own, sensing the danger before I did. The dirty blonde shot her arms out to grab me, and I knocked them out of the way before punching her again, right in the nose. She wouldn't let up this time, though; I was stuck in excessive hand combat with her until I grew frustrated and jabbed her twice with my left hand and completely smashed with my right. The audible sound of my blow-and the dull ache in my hand-told me that I either knocked her jaw out of place or cracked it. She fell, and I took that chance to move away from her.

I turned and was met with the leader and the two remaining girls, one who was holding her arm and glaring at me. None of them moved; the leader stood there staring at me, moving her tongue around the inside of her teeth, like she was deciding something. Her eyes narrowed, and she reached down inside her boot, never breaking eye contact. I watched her carefully, my knees bending in caution. A silver object glinted in her hand as she straightened back up, and with a flick of her wrist, a blade snapped straight up with a click. A switchblade. My heart picked up at the sight of it. I learned how to dodge weapons, but never had Felix actually thrown them at me. He was afraid of me getting a cut and raising suspicions. Well, and possibly attacking me.

 _Stay calm. Watch her. Don't freak out,_ I reminded myself of his instructions, attempting to keep my cool under the more dire circumstances. Knives were something I was afraid of being hurt by the most, and I think it was only because I cut my hand open with one when I was eight.

"So, miss American girl is a _ninja_ ," she spat mockingly, earning snickers from the two girls. "I was going to let you run...but now? Now I think your little goody-two-shoes ass deserves this. You wanna mess with my girls and me? Leanna?"

I was grabbed from behind by my torso by the dirty blonde, who immediately hoisted me up and tightened her grip as I tried to escape. She was squeezing too tight, preventing me from twisting my body the way I wanted. Then my ankles were grabbed by someone else; I knew she was one of the weaker ones, but she squeezed my ankles and I realized she was stronger than I thought.

The girls laughed as I struggled against them, trying to break free. The leader slowly approached me, the injured arm girl behind her, smiling satisfactorily. She played with her knife, slowly twirling it in her hand. I continued to struggle as my body fought between fight or flight. It wanted to react in its newly trained way, but I was more freaked out by how close the knife was to me now.

"What do you think, girls? Slow?"

I heard sadistic murmurs of agreement and a, "This should be fun," before the leader scrunched her lips up and pressed the flat side of the blade to my cheek. She ground out something in Italian, which sounded nothing but hateful and threatening while I failed at trying to predict what her next move was. The other girls called me things in Italian while a couple decided to call me them in English, too. _Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm, stay calm, stay calm_.

All at once, everything happened and I didn't know how it happened. My body worked in a way it hadn't before, not even in training. The cool metal left my cheek and was raised three feet above me, but that was all I remembered before I moved impossibly fast.

I kicked hard against the weaker girl's chest, setting my right foot free, which then allowed me to swing my body around immediately in an arc and kick the knife out of the leader's hand with a grunt. I heard a _clack_ and the sliding of the knife against the pavement and a cry from the leader as her head was thrown to the side, motivating me.

 _Weight, use the weight!_ a voice echoed in my mind. My body didn't pause as my feet were planted on the ground, and automatically I pushed backwards against the blonde girl's weight, tucking my body into a ball as I used her for support. I rolled backwards out of her arms as she lost her balance, falling onto her back just as my body came back around and my feet hit the pavement. She heavily grimaced and cried out herself as she landed with a hard thud. I was in shock at what my body just performed, and exhilarated all at once. My head spun from the flip, but I got away from the dirty blonde and looked immediately around me as the leader charged at me once more without her knife; that was kicked clear across the pavement.

" _Cheyenne_!" came a sharp, clear, musical, and alarmed voice; a voice I immediately recognized, but I had never heard it like that before. I whipped my head automatically toward the voice, it sending an unexplained relief through my body. _Alec,_ who was standing about seven feet away, looking beyond furious and alarmed at the same time. That was what earned me a body slam from the leader and sent me tumbling to the ground. My head reflexively shot forward, tucking my chin in to prevent whiplash, and I rolled over just as fast on top of her, not missing a beat. My legs created a grip against her sides, squeezing to keep her in place. She was gritting her teeth, breathing heavily, and glaring at me just as murderously as before, throwing in some more ground out Italian that I didn't understand.

"You... _bitch_!" she screeched at me, pushing against my weight and swinging her left arm at me. I just dodged my head out of its direction. "I'm going to... _kill you_!"

And I don't know what it was that sparked me-a _real_ fighting spark-Alec, or the fact that she just attacked me, but I was fueled. She twisted and struggled underneath me, and suddenly her right arm was drawn back, her fist was closed, and it was shooting right for me as she cried out in rage.

I grabbed the arm, seeing that she wasn't going to even hit me; in her curled fist had been another blade, but much smaller. I knocked it out of her hand, more so in a freaked out fashion than a defensive one, and I held back from punching her. I pinned her arm above her head instead.

"I told you I didn't want to fight," I told her softly, out of breath, body buzzing and shaking with adrenaline. And, filled with shock and remorse at the fact that I did, I said sincerely, "I'm sorry."

I moved off of her, jumping to my feet swiftly, despite said adrenaline, and decided it wouldn't be smart to try to help her up. Instead, I moved quickly to Alec, who met me in the middle with an anchored arm around my waist. At this point, the cold temperature felt good.

"What the _hell_ were you thinking?" he hissed at me furiously. No, wait. More than furiously. It was more like rage. But I was too dazed to care. " _Do you know how worried I was?_ "

I didn't answer as he took me through some sort of short cut; we didn't go back through the store. We went past it and continued through the alley until it became the cobbled streets and shops again. He quickly led me alongside the sidewalk, keeping me tight against his side, like he was trying to hide me. During the whole walk, I was thinking about three things. One was the girl who I left in a tattered mess and felt bad about it. The second was Alec's arm around my waist. His close proximity gave me that strange electric feeling again. I realized he hadn't done this since he pretended to be my boyfriend in front of that boy. At this point, I couldn't even feel the ache in my muscles. The warm current humming through my body seemed to erase that.

The third was my performance back there. How? When? How? How? Why? How? How did I do it? How did I do something I didn't even learn? I felt so bad but so strong at the same time. That was the first fight I'd ever been in, and I could have killed those girls if I wanted; I had the ability to now. I didn't even care that she probably hated me, I was concerned for the leader the most. The way she reacted to me grabbing her wrist ran through my mind. There was something different about it; her anger wasn't normal. It unsettled me.

I forgot about it when Alec practically threw me into the car. I didn't even notice that we were to it already. As he slid in the driver's seat, I took my chance to peek. I couldn't read his face; it was too blank. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose like he was trying to calm himself.

"I told you...to stay in that store," he started quietly, but it sounded way too calm. "Do you not know how to follow simple directions?"

"Yes," I said simply, and I immediately wondered why I myself sounded so calm. The quivering in my muscles returned, and I fastened my hands between my knees to stop it. "But-"

"And then I find you at the back of the store _fighting_ ," he said with venom in his voice, his eyes snapping open. They were no longer purple. "I can't take my eyes off of you for _one minute_ without you getting into trouble. Are you aware of the risk you are not only putting yourself in, but _me_ as well?"

And as if on cue, a deep buried question that I had long forgotten was answered. The sun peeked through the clouds and shone directly through the windshield, shedding light on Alec's face. What I saw made me audibly gasp.

Right as the sun hit his skin, there were no flames, melting skin, or even spontaneous combustion. Instead, millions of tiny shimmering facets danced across his skin, reflecting every color of the rainbow; like diamonds. The little diamond-like facets reflected onto the dashboard, dancing across it on their own like a disco ball would. It only made him even more beautiful to look at, and I didn't even notice that my hand reached out to touch his skin until it was pinned back down in its place by his own and the visor was pulled down.

"Put your seatbelt on," he growled, moving in a blur as he slammed on the gas pedal before I could even reach for it. I scrambled, clicking my seatbelt on as I was pressed against the seat from the speed he was going. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him talking on the phone, but I heard nothing coming out of his mouth; his lips were barely moving. I was really in trouble this time, but I could only be distracted by what I just saw. I always understood that vampires had to stay out of the sun, because that was just classic standard; but I hadn't known why for these vampires. Now, I understood crucially why; it was even more distracting than seeing the ones on TV burn and crisp up. Actually, it was _better_. And it made my heart race, because Alec looked so achingly beautiful that I wanted to be even closer to him now, to touch his skin and see if the facets were tangible. I could've watched that image in my mind forever, and that realization spooked me.

"Are you listening to me?" Alec asked, his voice tearing me away from my thoughts. I turned my head; he was watching me with a hard, expressionless face. The car was stopped. No, wait, off. We were back already. His face was distracting me, so I just shook my head.

"Get out of the car," he growled as he did so himself, and I followed suit. He made me go in front of him with a hand between my shoulder blades as we made our way through the dimly lit hallway in the castle. "Are you hurt?" He asked shortly.

 _If I am, your touch is fixing that_ , I thought, and immediately chided the voice in my head. _Shut up, this is serious!_

"No," I responded, then breathed in. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

"Just stay quiet," he ordered quietly as we finally reached the huge doors to the throne room. How fast had we been moving? That question dissipated as the doors flew open with a simple push of Alec's hand, and Aro's waiting figure stood in front of his throned seat.

 _Shiiit...take mushrooms._

As we got closer, his face didn't look so happy and inviting as I anticipated. It was serious, but strangely open, and his eyes lit up in the creepy way that they did. I darted my eyes around the room. No Felix. No Demetri. Chelsea was there. No Jane. Marcus and Caius were in their usual spots.

"Ah, Alec, Cheyenne," Aro breathed. his hand automatically reaching out. Alec's hand left my back, and I bit back the strange sound that wanted to come out of my mouth for that. He was in front of Aro in a flash, his hand enclosed in Aro's. His eyes glazed over for a moment, and then refocused as they moved to me. "Oh, I see."

"It was a simple accident," Alec spoke smoothly. Bored. "I can take care of it, Master."

"Of course," Aro's high, feathery voice echoed slowly while his eyes never left me. "But, I would like to know the full story. My dear?"

I took a deep breath as Alec moved in a blur to my side again, standing at a further distance this time. I didn't want to tell him what just happened; I couldn't even process it myself. Half of it was a blur now.

"I was looking at CDs," I began, my voice coming out much quieter than I expected. "Then there was this girl being...bothered, by another girl. I tried to stop it. And...it didn't fare out so well."

"I see," he said, looking over my body for any evidence of that. "I see you were not injured in this...unpleasant exchange."

I just shook my head, realizing that I would have to come up with another lie for that. God, I wish I didn't have to keep doing this. I made the mistake of shifting my eyes over to Marcus; he had that interested look in his eyes like last time. Caius, well...Caius was just as furious looking as always.

"And you were alone, dear?" he asked, the same tone leaking through from this morning when he'd asked the same question. I knew what he was thinking now.

"Yes. Alec was outside."

"Ah, yes," he sang. "Alec seems to be quiet absent in these accidents of yours."

"She is ruining our foundation," Caius cut in. "She could lead others to us, Aro! If any more humans see his existence-"

Aro's hand came up, halting him. I wish he would stop staring at me like that.

"Caius, I am more than capable of handling this," Alec spoke highly. "She is _my_ responsibility."

Caius rose from his throned seat lividly and stared at me with blazing red eyes before hissing loudly at me. I barely shuffled back, giving up on hoping nobody would see it. He then sank back down, keeping his deathly expression.

"She doesn't deserve to be excused this much," he continued. "Her actions are exposing the secret of our existence! Each time she is let out, she returns with trouble! How can we allow this _peasant_ to become one of us when she is clearly unfit?!"

That made me snap, just like earlier, and I didn't know why. The sudden spark flared up and I couldn't help the volume of my voice.

"You think I do it on purpose?" I snapped, my own voice echoing off the walls. "Who _are you_? You think _you_ can just yell at me all the time? So much respect for an old man."

I was stunned by my dripping sarcasm at the end. What was going on with me?

" _You dare not speak to me in that way!_ " he all but roared back, his eyes looking like they were going to pop out of the sockets. Alec's hand was on my shoulder instantly, bringing me back. He was right next to me now, if not inches in front of me. Aro told Caius once again to stop, and this time he did.

"No more words, Caius. Please," Aro said. "We have other things to discuss."

I waited warily, coming up with a handful of things that he could talk about.

"Now, listen closely, my dear. It seems there have been changes in our plans," he spoke, like I was a small child. "Our target has swept across out path again. He is very close to us now, as we speak. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to lure him in. Are you able to perform this, my dear? Perhaps...this evening?" He drew the last word, a hopeful grin stretching across his papery-skinned face.

Tonight? He's going to let me out after I just got in a fight and blamed by Caius? He wouldn't do that, would he? Is this guy being serious? Well, it _is_ serious...this is a vampire trying to get to _me._ I just forgot how serious the Volturi take their work; but, I've never seen how they do their work before, and I was about to. Did I have to accept, though?

"What?" I asked, dumbfounded. I couldn't get over how crazy this all was; I also wouldn't give up the fact that he wouldn't possibly just let me out again. He raised his eyebrows at me.

"Is that too soon for you?" he crooned. "I am not asking you for another time, child. We act as soon as we have the opportunity. Any other time would be inconvenient. I haven't asked much of you from this, have I?"

I thought about it; not really, no. He didn't say I had to do anything dire; just lure the vampire in. But for all I knew, Felix, Demetri and Alec had different ideas of that. Then again, maybe Aro told them what he wanted me to do. I shook my head, defeated.

"No," I answered, choosing to add my thoughts. "But I would like to be told what I need to do."

This was the first time he wasn't giving me a choice; I was being forced to do this no matter what. Aro's face was serious for the first time, and at that moment, I had actually preferred his creepy happy face. And speak of the devil, there it was.

"But of course," he breathed, obviously happy with my agreement. "Alec will give you my instructions. Alec." He shifted his eyes to Alec, in which they must have shared some secret exchange. Nobody spoke a word as Alec started to turn me to the door. I almost missed the long glance he gave Caius.

"She better not fail," I faintly heard Caius growl as we passed through the doors.

 **ALL RIGHT, HERE YA GO, THE LOOOOOONG CHAPTER THAT TOOK ME LIKE THREE MONTHS OR WHATEVS TO DO. I hope you all like it. My APOV is rusty in my opinion, but I did try. Keeping up with all these characters' feelings and the story is really hard, I must admit. But honestly I'm kinda writing as I go, so...but most things were already planned! Like the next chapter. I've been waiting to write that one for months xD so what'd you guys think of their little moment on the couch, huh? SPARKS ARE FLYING AND IT'S GETTING HOT. And she saw him in the sun. I wrote the word "sparkle" in there, but then I deleted it, cuz ya know, haters love to say that they sparkle xD and Felix got his aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaascot chewed out, too. And that fight scene. Why do you guys think the girl's so hell bent on fighting? Don't think that it's the last you've seen of her hueheueheueheu :D so much is going on right now in this story, but please PLEASE review and tell me what you think. I really want to know. If you review, David will kick Caius's butt on your behalf :D**


	22. A Word Between Ladies

**CPOV**

 **(A/N: All right, let's start you all off with something light, just because I feel like it needs it xD)**

As soon as I took the last step into the kitchen, I smelled something...good. Something that wasn't chicken or steak or catfish or pretty much any of the meals I'd been forced to eat. This smelled heavenly. I froze in place as I watched Ray take a long, rectangular glass dish out of the oven.

"Is that lasagna?" I asked dumbly, staring at the bubbling cheese on the top. It smelled even better now as the aroma hit me. Tomatoes, cheese, garlic, herbs, pasta...carbs. Fat. Yum.

"Fuck yeah!" he answered, setting it on the stove to cool. "Made it just for you."

I took a seat at the island on the bar chair; Alec sent me in alone to eat, so I had no idea what he was doing. He had just told me to eat and then go back up to meet him.

"Did Felix ask you to make that?" I asked curiously; what reason would he have to? I'd been eating lean meats and equal amounts of vegetables and starches for the last few weeks so I would be kept in shape for my training. Although it paid off, Felix didn't allow me to have anything heavy, unhealthy, or sugary. No candy, chocolate, cake, cookies, chips, you name it; I hadn't had it for weeks. I hadn't complained, but now I wanted to. I missed it. And now that I was thinking about it, I suddenly craved chocolate.

"Nope," Ray answered, throwing the oven mitts down. He put his finger to his lips. "I thought you deserved it after what happened this morning. It's good ol' comfort food for you. Shhhh."

I managed a chuckle and thanked him. We would both be in so much trouble for this, but at the moment, I didn't care. I actually didn't realize how hungry I was until I walked in. It was true what they said; fighting, especially spontaneous ones, took a lot of energy. But with the cheat meal right in front of me, it increased my overwhelming need for sugar. I leaned in closely to whisper.

"Got any chocolate hiding around here?" I asked. Ray held up a finger and went to the cabinet beside the stove. He reached to the back and pulled out a Snicker's bar, then tossed it on the counter in front of me; maybe this day wouldn't be so bad. I grabbed it and ripped the wrapper off, diving immediately into it. I didn't know why I wanted sugar so bad right now, but either way, it tasted so good. I closed my eyes and savored the chocolate-y, peanut nougat caramel goodness.

"Damn, son, slow down," Ray laughed. "Next time I'll buy the fun size bags. You've eaten like a prisoner lately."

I just shrugged; I was glad for the training, even though Felix still hasn't told me what it's specifically for. Now that the lie was out there, I know it wasn't for Aro to see how strong I was. The diet...eh, I couldn't say I wasn't thankful for it because it fueled me the right way, but with this Snicker's in my mouth, I didn't even want to think about it.

"I ate that omelet this morning," I reminded him. "It was big, remember? I couldn't eat all of it."

Ray went over to the stove and cut me a piece of lasagna as I finished off the candy. I thought I wasn't going to be able to sleep because I took a nap; now, I wasn't going to be able to sleep because of the sugar running through my veins. I wouldn't be surprised if Felix could smell it on me right now.

"Well, tonight, you're eating like a motherfuckin' truck driver," Ray said, sliding the plate in front of me. The piece was huge, like the size of a brick. "Enjoy."

I dug into it, burning my mouth in the process. I haven't had lasagna since my mom last made it, and that was however many months ago now. As I thought about it, the thought triggered a sadness I'd pushed away and forgotten. I haven't thought of my mom for weeks; God, I knew she must be in the worst shape as of now. I've been gone for almost two months now. There'd probably been a funeral for me and David already, which just made me feel even worse. I hadn't been that close with her before I left, but God, I didn't want it to be like this for her. Never. I wished I would've said more to her on that last phone call, but I was glad that the last thing I told her was that I loved her. And I swore then when I got out of here, I would be so happy when she saw that I was alive. I wish I could call her now and tell her that, or even Travis; then he could at least give her the message, too. I finished the whole plate, not realizing that I ate it so fast, and wiped my mouth with the napkin that wasn't there earlier; neither was that glass of ice water. I chugged the glass, realizing how thirsty I was now.

"That good, huh?" Ray laughed.

My grip on the glass forged an ache in my knuckles, and I set the glass down immediately, flexing my hand under the counter. The knuckles were sore from punching the tall girl in the face; I was lucky Ray was turned around to get me another piece of lasagna, so he didn't see.

"Yeah," I agreed, massaging my hand. "Definitely."

Felix would no doubt notice this; my knuckles were red from punching so much, and there was no telling if it would swell up or not. It didn't look like it was, but it was going to hurt tomorrow for sure. I punched the tall girl harder than the punching bag I used in training. I stopped my movements when Ray turned around and put my second helping in front of me. I ate slower this time, keeping my hand underneath the counter, and noticed he had his own helping as well.

"Is Sophie doing all right?" I asked, deciding to fill the silence, but I was also genuinely curious. Ray got to go home to Sophie every night after I had my three meals, and I was glad of that; but when it came down to his own mortality, I wasn't sure when his last day with her would be. The Volturi haven't decided whether they're going to change him, and with me still being human, it seemed to be the only thing keeping him from that. I remember the conversation we had my first days here about it; _well, either that or they kill me_ , he had said.

"She's doing fine," he answered, apparently happy that I asked. "I wish I could let you guys meet; you'd be like best friends. I feel so bad, she doesn't have many friends around here."

"I would love to," I smiled, and wondered if the reason she didn't have many friends was because he was here. "I hope I will, before I'm..."

"I doubt it," he answered, his tone dropping a few tones. "She doesn't go out a lot, but when she does, it's with her sister. She doesn't like doing stuff alone."

"Why?" I asked softly, abandoning my fork. I wanted to meet Sophie more than ever now; it would have been a privilege to have another girl friend.

"Why do you think why? Because I'm never there; I'm always here for almost the whole day," he said like it was obvious. "And you know I can't tell her who I work for."

I flinched at that.

"I didn't mean it like that," he quickly backpedaled. "I love having you here, sis. I have someone to talk to about all of this fucked up stuff; but I can't be there for Sophie, and I want to. I would quit in a heartbeat if I had the damn choice, and I'd take you with me."

"I know," I said sympathetically, going back to something he'd said. "You said she has a sister?"

"Yeah, Emily," he said, cutting into his food again. "I forgot to tell you about her. She's fourteen, but she keeps Sophie company. Her parents were asses and didn't give a shit about her, so we took her in. Why?"

I was filled with sympathy for all three of them; Ray for being stuck here, Sophie for not knowing or being particularly comfortable here, and Emily for not being treated right by her parents. They were all broken in some way, and that gave me more determination to get him out when I had a plan arranged. I'd have to start making one soon.

"My God," I commented. "That's nice of you to do that. I bet she likes it here, huh? All the scenery and stuff."

"She's all about it," Ray answered instantly, happy again. "That's why she takes Sophie out as much as possible. I get a recap of what they did when they get out."

I smiled, happy that they still got to be happy somehow, and excused myself to meet Alec. I thanked him once again for the meal, and he said he'd keep some leftovers for me; he was taking the rest home to Sophie and Emily. I agreed happily, and took the stairs easily two at a time; taking them that way had become my one-at-a-time now. I had more than enough leg strength for it.

I reached the top of the stairs on the floor where the library was, and the doors opened before I was an arm's length away. Felix held it open for me, and I walked past him, not wanting to see his face; I would save my glance for later, because I was certainly going to get an earful later. At the old, long, shiny oak table sat Demetri and Alec, leaving the middle empty for Felix. I was stuck sitting alone across from them, the warmth in my body beginning to buzz from Alec's closeness.

"How nice of you to join us, love," Demetri greeted with a charming smile as Felix took his seat.

"First, are you all right?" Felix asked cautiously, folding his hands on the table. I nodded; the adrenaline had gone after my eyes were on that lasagna. He nodded, and then continued.

"We're here to discuss the operation," he began seriously, not wasting a second. "You get to hear the plan, and you're going to do exactly what we tell you and nothing else."

"And if you do not, you will be killed," Demetri added seriously as well, but his eyes were playful. "And I've grown quite fond of you, so let's save ourselves the trouble."

I saw Alec roll his eyes.

"Alec, would you like to inform her?" Felix asked. I gave my attention to Alec, not surprised to see his face blank, and tried to be professional as well while trying to ignore the warm, energetic current drawing me to him.

"We will leave the premises and drive to the club in the far side of town," Alec began bluntly. "We will drop you off far enough to allow time for us to catch him and for him to follow your scent. You will not go anywhere, say anything, or do anything different unless you have been told to, and you _do not_ turn around. Do you understand?"

"Yes," I replied, shocked at how easily it came out.

"Demetri will first track the scent of the perpetrator before we leave," Felix started. "We will have an article of clothing with your scent on it and leave it on our path so he will follow. We will be very close by, ready to capture him when you have successfully led him to where we instruct you."

"Why do you need my clothing when I'm going to be there?" I asked suspiciously, suddenly more interested in this. Their plan didn't make sense, and me, always automatically analyzing things, wanted to voice my worries of the flaw in their plan. I didn't want to offend them, but I was concerned for my own safety, despite the fact that they were the most powerful vampires in the world. As I went over the instructions in my mind, a little idea of my own came to mind.

"A trick of sorts," Demetri said haughtily. "He won't be able to smell us when he's smelling you first and from a farther distance. It will make him believe you're alone until we capture him."

I looked at all three vampires, considering my idea. There was a chance they'd brush it off, but if it was Alec's job to protect me, shouldn't he hear this? It was up to me, like he said, to tell him of my whereabouts. This deserved to count, too.

"Am I allowed to say anything in this?" I asked carefully, looking at Alec last.

"No," he answered bluntly.

"Do you have questions?" Felix asked, ignoring Alec, then turned his head slightly to him. "We have to take every precaution."

Demetri was just looking at me with his brow raised, like he was anticipating some great speech; Felix was watching me patiently, and Alec's face was just confusing. I couldn't tell if he was considering listening or not, but I partly didn't care because of the muddled electricity that called me to scoot closer. He was going to hear it, anyway. I dug the toes of my shoes into the floor to keep myself planted in place.

"I'm not trying to offend your plan...or your abilities," I started slowly, looking to Felix. "But, doesn't this seem a little conspicuous?"

"How so?" Demetri asked first, a little too quickly and expectantly. Felix asked the same, but more politely.

"I don't know," I admitted. "You're dropping me off down the street and driving away. If he's nearby, don't you think that looks a little suspicious?"

"Not if you put on a good show and insist that you walk," Felix shrugged. I sat back in my chair, appalled, and brought up another point.

"Wouldn't he see you, though? And smell you? You guys can smell each other, right? He would notice, and wonder why three vampire men would drop off a human girl on the street," I explained, leaning forward. I saw Demetri's mouth curl into a pleased grin.

"I suppose," Felix said thoughtfully, studying me. "How would you lure in a vampire, then?"

My cheeks heated as the strange occurrence between Alec and me immediately popped into my head. _And that's all you need._

"With my heartbeat?" I asked hesitantly. "Isn't that all I need?"

I couldn't help but taking a glance at Alec; I swear the corner of his lips were pulled up, even a little.

"Yes," Felix said slowly, amused by the obvious statement. "But there will also be hundreds of humans there. He could drink any one he chooses, so it won't matter."

I heard a hard, solid thump beneath the table, then. I looked quickly at Alec; his face was smooth, but the curve of his mouth was no longer there. Felix's face was composed. One of them kicked the other, I knew that much; and I had a pretty good guess on who.

"What I mean is," Felix drug out. "All any human needs is their pulse to catch a vampire's attention. But, there are also physical matters that are needed in these cases. Sometimes the most appealing looking humans draw us in." He gave me a once over and grinned politely. I felt my ears turn hot.

His words ran similar to Heidi's, and I internally fake cursed. I wasn't getting far enough with my point.

"Yeah, but," I continued. "You're still going to leave me to _be alone_ with a _human-eating vampire_."

"Look who you're sitting here with," Felix reminded me, stifling a laugh. Demetri shook his head and scoffed at Felix's little joke. Alec just chose to cut in.

"You won't be alone," he assured me, sounding genuine. His face was hard as a rock, however. That's when I heard its double meaning. He definitely wasn't going to let me out of his sight after my little fiasco. "We won't be but a few feet away. Does that make you feel any better? Grow up." He added to Felix at the end, then raised an eyebrow at me. I just nodded distractedly, unsure of what made the warmth flood from the pit of my stomach to the tips of my toes: Alec's words or the fact that he wasn't going to leave me alone again. Either way, it comforted me enough.

"He's not going to be able to get any closer to you than we allow him," Demetri added conceitedly. "Which, with all of us against one, is hardly enough to be considered close."

"Can't you lure him to a specific location?" I asked meekly.

"That's what you're for, love," Demetri reminded me, like a teacher to a student.

"Right," I said, finally getting to my point. "But...what if you lured him to a _secluded_ area?"

I received a chorus of "No!" from all three of them, which nearly sounded like a three-man angel's choir. I flickered my eyes between them.

"Vampires and secluded areas do not mix," Felix said cryptically. "That is a mass murder waiting to happen. We don't want you to be concerned about feeling alone, so I will tell you what Alec said; _you won't be alone_. You may not be able to see us, but we'll watch your every move. All right?"

"But I'm not finished," I tried. Felix stared at me for a short moment, then motioned with his hand for me to continue. Demetri's brow was lifted, waiting.

"I don't mean make him go _into_ a secluded area; I mean just _lead_ him to one. If you do that, wouldn't it seem more natural if he saw _me_ walk much closer to a club instead of down the street from it? Or, if one of you even escorted me in? Then, the other two of you could still catch him off guard." I swept my eyes over all three of them, my face feeling warm from being the center of attention. I wanted to hide, and I wished I had a blanket to cover myself in.

My eyes landed on Alec first, which was increasingly becoming involuntary. He looked thoughtful, and...amused, but also not the happiest. Felix looked thoughtful as well, but more so impressed, and Demetri? Well, Demetri looked like I gave that great speech, being all grandiose about it.

His arm shot out in a black blur, grasping my hand to put a cold, hard kiss on it; luckily, it wasn't my right hand.

" _You_ are brilliant. I told you, didn't I, Alec?" he boasted, whipping his head so fast to them that it looked like it never happened. My heart thumped at that, wondering just how much they talked about me when I wasn't around. Was I always the topic of conversation, or what?

 _Cue me slumping down in my seat until I'm safely under the table._

I skimped on seeing Alec's reaction, moving on to Felix. He looked like he was still thinking, watching me. I instinctively shrunk my hands away, placing them in my lap.

"You are smart, little woman," he concluded, his hands folded on the table. "She's right. If we start too far behind, he will suspect and escape before we have a chance. Alec?" He turned his head, copying Demetri's movement. I bravely took a look in the same direction. His hand was rested across his chin, like he was rubbing it. His blank, unchanging face just stared at me, studying me like earlier. I desperately wanted to know what he was thinking now, and it felt like an eternity passed before he said anything.

"All right," he mumbled, uncaring, and rose from his seat, striding out of the room. He took the warm, buzzing current with him, and I was left feeling cooler than before. A rush of exhaled air echoed through the room, and I realized it was me; I had been holding my breath. The two remaining vampires simultaneously moved their blood red eyes to me and continued as if nothing happened.

"So, while you're here, we wanted to take a moment to apologize," Felix said fleetingly. "It was not our place to tell you about Alec's personal relationship with Camilla, nor anything prior to. It was inappropriate on our behalf, and we would appreciate your cooperation in disregarding anything we have told you."

What?

Were they serious? I can't disregard a whole conversation dedicated to the boy I now had increasingly overwhelming feelings for and his now-or-apparent-ex-lover. _Especially_ because of the former. Now that these feelings were blossoming, it only made me wonder how it would fare out when the ball came around. I could have easily forgotten it if this was a random story book written and sold in the library; but no, not like this. I actually wanted to keep Camilla far away from Alec, and if I had the physical strength to do it, I would.

I blinked, snapping my partially agape mouth shut. The two gave each other glances; oh, good, they knew. I hope. I think. That look could mean anything. And what about their bet? Was that off, too? I was just supposed to let Camilla have Alec while I wasn't allowed to fend off one boy in a mall alone?

 _No,_ something inside me blazed. _Absolutely not._

They were the ones telling me all about how being his singer was this mysterious, special, big thing, and now they were shut down on it. In fact, I haven't heard anything about it from them since the day they told me the whole story. **(A/N: All right, I was too lazy to look back and see if that was true, so if that's wrong, I'm sorry xD it's actually my last memory of hearing about it, so *shrug*)**

Was this what the phone call was about earlier?

"She's in too deep now," Demetri side-commented, watching me. "I can see it."

"Look, we won't be bringing it up anymore," Felix continued, seemingly ignoring Demetri, but the look in his eyes told me otherwise. "And you won't, either. Are we clear?" He prompted.

He stared at me expectantly, and I, keeping in mind what happened when I brought her up last time, nodded in agreement. I _was_ glad that we wouldn't be doing that anymore, but I _wasn't_ glad that she would be here. Around him. The thought just aroused feelings in me that made me want to...

"Are you all right there, love?" Demetri's voice interrupted warily. He was fighting a laugh.

"Well, I know one thing; we don't have to ask her if she likes him now," Felix mumbled, sharing the same look. I blushed.

"I don't _like_ him," I argued weakly, an automatic defense I was used to since grade school. "I don't..."

"Right," Demetri said sarcastically while Felix guffawed. "We believe you, love."

"You guys make me blush, too," I tried again, looking between them. I stopped on Demetri first. "You're always kissing my hand, and _you're_ always making innuendos."

"We make all of the female population blush," Demetri said like it was obvious, arching his brow. "It's part of our nature. _You're_ just different."

"Yes," Felix agreed. "You don't react quite...the same way."

"Okay," I sighed, rising from my chair. "I have to rest before all of this, so I'm going."

I made my way to the door without looking at their faces again. They were both there before I fully turned around, holding the doors open. I walked past them, heading up the flight of stairs to the next floor. I decided to take Aro's suggestion and try to rest, sinking down into my bed, pulling the silk comforter over me.

Okay, this is not working.

I threw the comforter off after twenty minutes of trying to sleep; my mind just wasn't cooperating. Thinking about what I had to do made me nervous. I couldn't be sexy! I didn't know how to act like that, or even remotely attractive. Why was I chosen for this? Why didn't they choose Gianna to do it? I mean, she's at least ten years older with more curves, and she certainly pulls off those dresses better than me. Not only that, but me having to wear the scary piece of fabric hanging in the closet in front of _Alec..._

I threw my arm over my face and whispered a fake expletive to myself. I couldn't do this. All my life, I never had to worry about slipping into those kinds of outfits because I vowed to never wear them. Now, here I was, in a vampire-filled castle in Italy, going out to lure in a vampire for the Volturi to kill. The thought made me feel sick, and I shuddered. I hope I never have to kill anyone; I couldn't live with myself if I did.

Suddenly, the door opened quite loudly, and I didn't know whether to fake being asleep or not. Ah, who was I kidding, I had no chance of pulling that off. I moved my arm away from my face to see who my visitor was. There wasn't anybody in the doorway. I lowered my arm completely and found the huge vampire next to my bed, which made me jump.

"I opened the door loud enough," Felix defended. "I thought you would know I was coming in."

"Yeah, but I can't exactly hear you moving so fast, either," I said, pulling myself up and preparing myself for any punishment. He flashed his palm when I opened my mouth to explain myself.

"I just came to inform you that we're going to scan the perimeter of the castle to prepare for this evening. We'll be out in the forest, so you will be with Heidi while we're gone," he explained, his eyes probing mine.

I nodded, and then mentally facepalmed myself for what I said next.

"Did Alec already leave?" I asked curiously. He gave me a small smile.

"Yes," he answered knowingly. "I told him I would give the message to you."

Then he swiped up my right hand, examining it for a moment, then released it. I was wishing for some ice now, because the temperature felt nice against the ache.

"No damage," he concluded, placing his hands behind his back. "Are you sore?"

I nodded, covering my hand.

"A little," I said, then rushed to explain. "And I didn't mean to get into a fight, she tried to hit me, and my hand just came up, and..."

He flashed his palm again.

"No need to explain, little woman. I know you wouldn't start a fight. You wouldn't hurt a fly even if it shat on your remaining food," He joked. I shot him a look, trying to ignore the disgust of what he just said.

"I didn't know I _could_ hurt a fly until they all had bloody noses and possibly dislocated limbs," I deadpanned. "And one had a knife."

He whipped his head toward me.

"You didn't use that knife," he assumed, staring hard at me.

"No, and I wouldn't have, either. I won't get in a fight again," I said, desperate to end this conversation.

"No, you won't," he said with finality. "You could have walked away, and let Alec deal with it."

"I _did_ try to walk away," I said a bit impatiently. "She wouldn't let me. You think Alec would have been any happier if I had let her punch me?"

He flashed his palm again, remaining calm despite my tone.

"No," he answered calmly. "Of course not, but you had a chance of getting out of it. And next time, that's what I'm going to teach you." He added cryptically at the end.

"I have to go before Alec sees I've been gone too long. We will be gone for half an hour at most. Put some ice on that hand, and take some Tylenol; rest while we're gone. Alec told me to give you that message as well," he continued professionally, barely smiling at the end. Then he darted his eyes to the door, and leaned in close to me.

"I _am_ proud that you kicked ass," he whispered secretly and a little proudly. "You defended yourself against four girls and got out with no scratches. I wasn't sure that you would be able to defend yourself against more than one human, but you exceeded my expectations." He ruffled the bun on top of my head since there was no free hair to mess up, and I sat there dumbfounded. He wasn't mad? He wasn't mad! He was congratulating me on beating up these girls, and that just made me eager to learn how to avoid fighting. For once, I couldn't wait for the next session. I would happily skip to the training room that day.

"Well, what about Alec? What am I going to tell him?" I asked timidly. My little cover-up about self defense was useless now. Felix just nodded once.

"I will take care of it. No need to worry," he said formally. He didn't sound worried at all. "I will leave you to rest now."

I saw him turn, and noticed that I nearly had any time to catch him before he was gone.

"Was that what the phone call was about?" I blurted at a normal volume. "The vampire?"

He turned to me, stopping abruptly. It felt like minutes passed before he answered, even though it was really only seconds.

"Yes," he said finally, and then he smiled. "I know you know, little woman. You don't need to ask me."

And then he was gone with a breeze, the door closing gently behind him with a click. Well, I _definitely_ wouldn't be sleeping now. I hopped out of bed and went into the closet, examining the scary outfit again. Wearing this in front of Alec was going to ruin me, and I wondered then if he'd prefer Camilla in this. Felix told me all I needed to know just now. He and Demetri got in trouble for telling me about her and Alec chewed them out. And now that they told me that we wouldn't be talking about her, reverse psychology set in and gave me all the more reason to look out for her. When the ball came, would Alec blow me off for her? After all that happened today between us, I wasn't quite sure, but the insecure part of me screamed yes.

I hadn't gotten to try it on, and when I ran my hands down the length of it, an idea ran through my mind. My eyes roamed down the dress, one, two, three times, calculating its length. I would be just standing around looking pretty, but I wanted to be prepared, too. A certain image from the fight ran through my mind, and ironically, it gave me an idea in that moment. What were the odds of me getting caught with this idea? Hopefully none, and with what I had in mind, I could almost easily get away with it. It would be quick. Just down the stairs, and back up. I wondered how crazy I was for thinking this, since I just got in a fight and didn't want to get into anymore; my answer was _insanely_ , but I wanted to be ready. It was something that was driving me right now for whatever reason.

I casually made my way down to the kitchen first, where Ray gave me Tylenol without asking any questions. He also quickly showed me where my leftovers were in the fridge so I could find them, and I thanked him warmly before tiptoeing once again down all of the flights of stairs until I reached the last one. Heidi didn't try to find me yet, and I hoped she wouldn't while I was doing this.

 _Come on, just get in and get out. She'll never know._

Slowly, I opened the door, looking behind me while doing so. Then, I darted into the room, scanning the wall for what I needed. I knew they were in here somewhere. I'd used them a hundred times already.

 _Too long, too long, too big, too spiky, too sharp...medium, medium, medium...ah!_

I quickly swiped the object I needed and put it into my pocket, pulling my sweater down over it. I made my way out of the room, shut the door, and darted up the stairs back to my room. I glanced at Heidi's door; no signs of opening yet. I calmly went into my room, took the small throwing knife and its strap out of my pocket, and hid it underneath my bed. I would get it when I got ready tonight. I asked myself again what I was doing, and why I was doing this, but the only answer I came up with was that I wanted to be prepared. No, the knife wouldn't be able to penetrate vampire skin, but I didn't want to go empty-handed this time. It was more dangerous, and I didn't want to risk anything happening again.

I shook my head, wanting to be clear of it for now, and decided to go to Heidi's room instead to pass the time. I still had hours before we left. Demetri was gone too, so I had no fear of walking in on something I'd regret seeing. I knocked on her door gently, and a melodic, "Come in" sounded through the other side of the door. When I stepped in, she was seated at her desk, chair facing out, ankles crossed to one side, book in hand. It looked something like a Bronte Sisters book from the spine. She looked up as the door shut, and I was glad to be around someone of the same gender in this moment.

"Feeling bored?" she asked knowingly, her pretty smile illuminating her face. I stood there, her face reminding me of something instantly.

"Yeah, I guess," I answered, seeing her gesture to the small velvet couch behind me. I sat down, contemplating bringing this up, but I thought better of it; I didn't think I could handle any more stories right now. I tucked my little question into the back of my mind and made a note to ask about it later. Heidi neatly nestled the book back on her little makeshift shelf and turned to me.

"Well. I don't have very many human things for you to do," she said bluntly, then looked over me. "I need to fix you before tonight." She stood up, her strappy heels adding height that she didn't need.

"I want you to go and take a shower," she said simply. "I need to arrange everything. Don't be too long; I want to be finished before Alec returns." She smiled to herself.

At her words, I knew what she meant. She was going to make me up. As I walked to my room and got a towel, I dreaded what she was going to do to me. Heidi and I had different definitions of makeup, that much was clear. I loved to experiment with it when I was back home and on the road, doing different looks and practicing winging out my eyeliner, but I was afraid of what Heidi's idea was. Her eye makeup, although she didn't need it, was always perfectly classy looking; however, for my particular dress? I didn't think it was going to be _as_ classy. I _knew_ about makeup. I watched many tutorials. I learned what went with what, and if my assumption was right, I'd be very afraid.

 _Please God, let me still be able to feel my face. Or_ see _my face._

I stepped into the shower, my clothes shed on the bathroom floor, and showered quickly like she instructed. While I waited for the conditioner to set in, I looked down at my legs. Maybe going over them again wouldn't hurt. She'd probably kill me if I didn't. It wasn't until I bent over to run the blade over my legs that I noticed it. Or, _not_ it.

The tiny little criss cross scrapes that were there before were completely gone. Healed. Like they were never there. I furrowed my brow in confusion, but began to shave anyway. They were only a day or so old. How was that possible? They were scabbed over yesterday, and today they were gone. It took longer than that for scabs to heal.

I shook my head to clear it, as I had no time to worry about it now. Heidi was expecting me.

When I was done, I stepped out and threw on the new, simplest looking pair of clothes I could find; a long sleeve shirt and a pair of the Nike shorts from my training collection. I wasn't a fan of longer pants. I liked air.

I took my hair out of the towel and hung it on the bar in the bathroom before going back to Heidi's room. When I closed the door behind me, I just stared at all the makeup, bobby pins, nail polish, and hair products laid out on her vanity table. Oh. God.

"Have a seat," she insisted. "It's not as scary as it looks."

Hesitantly, I did what she said and relaxed more when she started to put some of the products in my hair. Her hands worked quickly, and I couldn't keep up with what she was doing because they were just endless white blurs to my vision. I know she blow dried my hair, which I never did to avoid heat damage, and it came out looking shiny and smooth looking instead of like a messy haystack. She ran a brush through my hair, which felt like nothing but a breeze around my head because of her speed, and took a seat beside me. She told me to face her and to let her see my hands. She took them gingerly and inspected them, looking a little displeased, and got to work on my nails.

"Why do you have to paint them?" I asked, cutting to the chase. "He's not even going to see me for very long."

"I heard your conversation with the boys," she lilted knowingly, pushing my cuticles back with a cuticle pusher. She worked fast; in a matter of sixty seconds, she was done with all ten fingers. "He's going to be seeing you."

"They're just going to get messed up," I told her honestly; it was true. I didn't like having my nails painted at all, and the fact that I wasn't good at doing things with them painted proved that they shouldn't be painted at all. "I'm no good at keeping them neat."

"Obviously," she muttered, looking at me with her dark burgundy eyes before picking up a nail file and meticulously evening out my nails. An impossibly beautiful smile appeared on her lips. "Alec is going to be quite impressed."

The nerves came over me again about wearing the dress in front of him. Great, so she wasn't doing this just for the enemy, but for Alec. The little ache in my abdomen made its appearance, and I tried to tell myself it would all be over in a matter of minutes and then I could go right back to wearing what I was wearing now and happily go to sleep.

 _It's just for an hour, or less. It won't be very long._

But I couldn't help the burning question that came out of my mouth.

"Why are you all over this?" I asked tersely. It was beginning to get on my nerves, and there was still something nobody was telling me. I figured since I was no longer really denying any feelings for Alec, I'd get some answers. It had to mean something. "You, Felix, Demetri, Marcus..."

She stopped, the file frozen, and looked up at me once again, flipping her shiny mahogany curls out of the way. She looked at me like she was trying to explain something complicated to a child.

"You really don't know, do you?" she asked softly. I stared back at her, the question forming on my face. She leaned forward on her arm.

"Alec has been pining over you for weeks. You haven't seen the way he looks at you. It's obvious that he's interested in you, honey. He never looked at Camilla in that way; _ever_. Not one year in all of the one hundred and fifty. Never has he even gazed upon a woman, human or immortal, the way he looks at you. It's quite shocking. Just because he was forced to protect you in the beginning doesn't mean he doesn't voluntarily choose to now. I'd bet my most expensive silk dress in there that he would protect you from even his sister. He's changed since you've been here. He's not the same. He..." she stopped, the shock and warmth of her information about Camilla washing over me. A small flood of relief washed through me and made me feel a little more confident that he maybe preferred me over Camilla. I think my cheeks were flaming.

"Shall I go on?" she inquired with a smile, raising her eyebrow. Shaking my head, I wet my lips before diving into more questions.

"Define that he's...changed," I said slowly, suddenly very interested in my nails. It took me until now to notice that they'd grown out a lot over the last few weeks. The last time I noticed them, they'd been chewed down to the nub like they normally were before I came here. My hands had been so preoccupied with training, that I didn't have the conscious thought to chew them. Heidi hummed a response before switching her nail file for a buffing cube.

"To put it into words, I don't believe he would have any affection toward you if he didn't dislike your friend so much," she said impassively, that smile staying right in place. "He cares for you, and Alec is quite jealous that you partake to that and live so comfortably with him. Men. It's all about territory."

Did that mean...

 _"I love you, dudette."_

No, no. Right? David couldn't be the same way with me. Were they battling each other over me? For me?

 _"Ass-lec."_

I wasn't so smart with the boys, but this couldn't possibly be. David was protective of me because he was like my own brother. Travis wasn't here, and he made a promise to protect me because of that. It would be natural for David to not want Alec near me, but I don't know how I was going to tell him that I sorta, kinda liked being near Alec. Or, maybe I shouldn't.

 _Well, you have to sometime._

I got why Alec wouldn't like David; all of his actions towards me that happened today wasn't because maybe I had something on my shirt and he was plucking it off. No, he touched my skin and looked at me in a different way, and now that Heidi plugged her piece into my mind, it was true.

"So he likes me," I tested out the words, noticing that Heidi skipped out on the nail polish and was giving me a clear coat instead. Thank God. She rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Yes, he likes you," she said simply. "But like I said before, you just place yourself below everyone else and you don't see your true potential. I would say 'like' is an understatement. He's enchanted by you. You know he watches you and spends the majority of his time with you? Now, at least. He's such a stubborn boy. He tried every excuse in the book to stay away from you." She rolled her eyes and shook her head, leaning down to prop my foot on her leg. Now the toes, I wouldn't mind.

I knew that part; he was always mad at me before and insulting me, but now...well, he was obviously mad at me again for getting into a fight, but he'd far stopped his antics of pouring things on me and flipping me out of bed and leaving. He was just simple and quiet with me now that I thought about it. I had a question, and he answered. He did what he needed to do and voluntarily stayed with me until I needed something else. When he was angry at me...he looked like he wanted to explode, yet he simply asked me to leave the room and he saved my butt from Aro today. Heidi's words rang true once again as the realization came over me.

As I looked at her once more, I posed another remaining question, her observations causing butterflies to erupt in my stomach. Enchanted? I think I was more so enchanted by him. His voice, his face, when he told me I was frustrating but apparently smart, the look on his face when he said it, the way his skin erupted into a diamond dance across his skin...

I mentally shook my head as I thought of this beauty.

"Why hasn't Alec gone for you? Or...Camilla?" I barely mumbled her name at the end, unsure of how Heidi may feel about her. I wasn't supposed to be talking about her, but hey, it was just she and I here. Who would hear? Heidi shook her head again, giggling this time as she filed my toenails. I waited for her to answer, but she just kept giggling like I told the world's funniest joke.

"Oh, _please_ , honey," Heidi laughed, the sound coming out very equivalent to wind chimes. I wished I could laugh like that; mine was weird to me. "Are you completely serious? I've not once held any attraction for Alec. He's a handsome boy, but..." she just shook her head, stifling her giggles while she finished my toes. Okay, thanks, Heidi.

"You are a silly, silly girl," she commented, and then practically scoffed at her next statements as she looked at me. "He never once sought out Camilla. She was the one who came after him like a lost puppy. He never visited her or spoke of her while they were in mutual sexual contact. She wrote letters and eventually called when telephones came around, and she annoyed him to the ends of the world, but that's what entertained him; the chase and the sex. Felix and Demetri have told you enough, so I won't continue, but she's awfully ridiculous if you ask me. The girl has no sense of personal space between the two of them." She rolled her eyes, sounding like she was trash-talking the popular wanna-be in a high school.

While I didn't know Camilla, and I had no idea what she looked like, a small part of me thought it was still mean to speak this way. Sure, I didn't like her all that much either, especially since my feelings for Alec were sparking some sort of territorial streak in me, but did I really have to worry now? When I thought about it, no, not really. I still didn't know what would happen at the ball, but talking with Heidi about this eased some of my discomfort.

"Do I need to elaborate further?" she asked, perching an eyebrow. There was more?

"Elaborate what?" I asked, furrowing my brows. "She's clingy, and I'm not? Or she's a vampire and I'm not? She's obviously beautiful."

Heidi brought my other foot up and worked on that one while she shook her head again and sighed.

"Don't you notice anything, girl? You can better a Volturi plan, but you can't see this?" she asked like it was obvious. "You're doing the exact opposite of what Alec expects from you, and from every human. And since I pity Camilla's sense, I'll count her as well. You aren't chasing him. He expects women to fall at his feet and beg to be graced with his presence. You didn't. You aren't flaunting around and trying to get his attention. _That's_ what threw him off." She looked at me now, jerking the nail file at me once to emphasize. She was smiling like she was entertained by this, as if she were waiting for it to happen for years. I couldn't argue with her; Alec clearly didn't care how beautiful Camilla was, and that eased a bit more of my discomfort. Just a _bit._

"Is she beautiful?" I couldn't help but ask. Heidi narrowed her eyes at me like I was ruining the moment. I averted my eyes down.

"Not even her looks could make Alec turn his head away from you," she said indifferently. "If you're so curious as to what she does look like, you'll see her once she comes. But in my humble opinion, she's no better looking than me. Not even close." She pushed her big curls out of the way again as if to emphasize that fact, and I almost snorted at her opinion. Heidi _was_ beautiful.

I never thought Heidi was that particularly fond of me, but from hearing her now, maybe she didn't exactly think of me as repulsive. I'd never noticed these things until now, so did this mean Alec _wanted_ to chase me? Was he even chasing me? _Me,_ a shy, introverted, aloof, plain, nothing-special, simple perfectionist human, was driving the most attractive and dangerous vampire in the world crazy because I didn't require his attention?

 _Oh, how wrong he was._ I did want his attention, but not desperately. I more so wanted his company, to actually sit down and talk with him, to know him. How high were those chances?

I couldn't wrap my head around it, but it made the smallest of giggles bubble up against my lips. Not because it was funny, though; because it was shocking that by me doing absolutely _nothing_ , I was making Alec question it and driving him up the wall. So that's why he did all those things? Why he got mad so much in the beginning?

"So, I don't annoy him?" I asked, trying to sound indifferent like her. I was glad when it came out rightfully so. Heidi, finishing up the buffing job on my toes, twisted her lips up and I think I felt my heart drop for a moment.

"Sweetie, I think if you annoyed him, you wouldn't be sitting here right now," she answered gently. Oh. So I didn't annoy him.

Great!

I contained my small sense of inner giddiness as she finished painting my first ten toes. The idea of Alec liking me had butterflies all through my stomach, and my heart beating just a little faster in a different way. I shouldn't worry about Camilla, but even if I did, Alec was still his own person. No, I didn't want Camilla near him; yes, I wanted to try to prevent her coming near him, but I couldn't. He was centuries and centuries older than me. He held more authority, maturity and mystery than any eighteen year old boy on the planet, and I? Well, I held...myself. It was the only thing I had control over.

"Why hasn't he told her to stop?" I asked, forcing the edge out of my tone. "If he's annoyed so much."

"Alec doesn't anyone or anything bother him, lest Jane's well-being is involved. That's why they're opposites. Jane follows outward while Alec follows inward. It takes a lot for him to be bothered by something," she answered, flitting her eyes up at me with a look. I knew what that meant. "And for Alec, sex cancels out that factor. Until now."

My face heated up. I was flipping his whole world upside down, and it just sounded like a bad thing. He had no control over my gift, but he could've chosen to get rid of me. I angered him for what sounded like the first time in however long he's existed, and he still didn't get rid of me. Would he get rid of Camilla now that I was in the picture?

"If he likes me so much, then what about my...'gift'? He hates that," I asked hesitantly, because this wasn't making sense again. She switched the buffer out for nail polish, a color that was the exact shade of the dress. It nearly matched her eyes as well. Heidi positioned my foot closer to her and gave me a tight smile.

"If you were affected by something you had entirely no control over, you would hate it too," she said gently. "Alec is used to having the upper hand, and in this case, I'd say you have it for now. Alec likes power. He and Jane are notorious for that. You just happen to make him fall at your feet at your own expense."

"But I don't want to do that," I countered. "He doesn't deserve to be controlled like that. Nobody does. Felix is an exception. He loves it."

She pursed her lips, studying me like she was thinking.

"You are even surprising me. You have all of this power in your hands and you so humbly choose the well-being of others. That is just like her."

"Who?" I asked. She smiled an achingly beautiful, wistful smile.

"Her. The woman I mentioned to you before. She was always selfless, giving of others. You reminded me of her." She let out a small giggle, and I was reminded myself of the floating question that I'd saved for later, but with her tender moment, I held back. I opted for a new one.

"Was she beautiful, too?" I asked quietly, curiously. Heidi's smile grew for a short moment and began painting my toenails. The color was gorgeous, and I was surprised that it went with my skin.

"Of course," she answered, and as if sensing my follow-up, she continued. "Dark hair, almost like Alec's. A beautiful face. Except she chose to feed on animals, so her eyes were always dark amber." She scrunched her nose up a little and her mouth twisted again at that. Nothing Heidi did, no matter how bad it should look, was ugly.

"Is that why she left?"

Heidi's eyes shot up at me, and they seemed to visibly darken. I hit a rough spot. Oops. No more asking questions about that. I wanted to, though. I couldn't shake the idea that Heidi did know why she left and just wasn't telling me. And if she wasn't telling me, it was probably really bad.

"Sorry," I apologized, pressing my lips together. She smiled bitterly and continued her work. Her friend sounded just as beautiful, though. Dark hair and a beautiful face with golden eyes. I pictured that in my mind, and it came out as equally as beautiful as Heidi's face. My sole wonder was on what happened to her, however. It was mysterious. There was a big gap in what Heidi said, that she didn't know what happened to her, and the way she reacted. I wouldn't ask her so long as it hurt her. I wondered just how long ago she'd left, too.

I stayed quiet until she got to work on my hair five minutes later, and I was facing the huge mirror. She was braiding my hair into huge sections flat against my head, and even I knew I wouldn't be leaving like this, because they were pinned only for hold. She was braiding them to create waves for later.

I'd also caught my reflection for the first time since...heck, I didn't know when the last time I saw myself was, but I didn't know what to make of it.

My face, although clear and freshly washed, looked tired. The purple shadows under my eyes made me look dead, and my eyes themselves were tired, a bit wild, and swam with calculating curiosity. I could see a faint hint of pink in my cheeks from my slew of thoughts about Alec, which helped my complexion a little, but didn't do much for my eyes. My face was less round and more prominent from the vigorous exercise, thanks to Felix. I looked like I needed three naps and some concealer wouldn't hurt. What did Alec see in me again?

"Leave these in your hair until it's time to go," she informed me aloofly. I just nodded, telling my reflection I would get a good night's sleep after this mission. No signs of injuries from the fight were apparent, and I was glad. I would have cringed even more at my reflection if I had a black eye or a shadow of a bruise on my face. If I saw those girls again, I would do what Felix said and walk away. I knew it wasn't likely that I would see them again, though.

"I will complete your makeup at that time, too," she said, indicating I could leave now. I couldn't bring myself to do that just yet.

I turned around on the vanity bench, watching Heidi flick through racks at a blinding speed in her closet. After a few seconds, she turned her head with a neutral expression.

"You're free to go," she told me in her wind chime voice. I just sat there, clasping my hands between my legs. I averted my eyes a few times before finally saying something.

"Heidi, do you hate Camilla?" I asked, sounding more bold than I expected. Okay, so the question was kind of dumb, considering the comments she made earlier, but I wanted a clear idea. Nobody could tell any of these vampires who was good for whom or not, but there had to be a deeper reason as to why she had ill feelings about Camilla. The only reason I had an inkling of it was because I liked Alec; more than I should and more than I expected. Heidi rolled her eyes, flicking the clothes in the rack again.

"I think you know that answer. Anything else?"

I hesitated again.

"Yes. Why?"

She stopped flicking again and met my eyes with a little glare that probably wasn't meant for me. Then her face smoothed out.

"I think Alec can do much better than her. There's always been something about her I didn't like," she said with finality. That could have sounded simple enough, but the message was cryptic. Heidi didn't trust Camilla. Neither did Felix or Demetri, it seemed, but I didn't know that for sure. They just thought the same thing Heidi did; that Alec could do better.

Heidi was standing there, frozen in place, waiting for me to say anything else. And now that my eyes landed upon the long black shiny pumps on her feet, I had one that related to something she liked for once.

"I need some help," I confessed to her waiting figure.

For the next fifteen minutes, Heidi helped me walk in the shoes she picked out for my dress. She told me they weren't as hard to walk in as they looked, and once my feet were in there, she was right. I walked across her shiny, hardwood floor with little trouble, but the way her lips were pursed and her eyes were slitted as she watched me told me maybe not. She kissed her teeth, shook her head, and sauntered into her closet. Confused, I practiced my walk until she came out again, telling me to take the shoes off. She held another red pair in her hand. I did what she said, and as I slipped on the new ones, they looked, dare I say, cuter. And the heel wasn't bad, either. The dark crimson pumps that fit my feet made my legs look better, and when she asked me to walk again, she smiled proudly to herself, which almost knocked me over from its beauty.

"Perfect," she decided. "Those are much better for your dress. Comfier, too, no?"

I nodded, surprised to see that my feet weren't killing me. Then she grinned to herself and I tripped at what came out of her mouth next.

"Alec definitely won't be able to keep his eyes off of you tonight."

 **AAAAND A CLIFFY. YES. I KNOW. NOT WHAT YOU WANTED? WHERE'S THE FUDGING MISSION, YOU ASK? WHERE'S THE ACTION? WHERE'S THE DROOLING ALEC? Well, folks, after this commercial break, you'll get just that! This chapter was long to me on its own with all the Heidi stuff and stuff, so I'm just gonna upload it now and make the mission the next chapter because shiz happens. and I want that chapter to be its own special thing, y'know? You thought this little conversation was hot? You thought seeing Alec gleam in the light was hot? Oh, you've seen nothing yet. What'd you guys think of the little bonding-ish moment between Heidi and Cheyenne? She hates Camilla too, HAHAHAHA. Because Camilla's dumb, that's why. Let's call her the Tanya Denali of this story. Anyway, DON'T GO AWAY. THIS EPISODE OF SIREN RETURNS RIGHT NOW, ON . Review for a makeover from Heidi :D**


	23. Paralyzed

**CPOV**

When the boys came back, the only thing there was left to do was wait. So, Felix dragged me into the movie room to play a game with him. And by games, I meant the console he dragged out so we could play fighting games. He laughed at my hair, which Heidi had made equivalent to cornrows; four, very big cornrows. I didn't laugh back.

Alec didn't join us; he looked much too distracted. He warned Felix to just play these games with me "and nothing else". He went to go talk with Jane while Felix stiffly promised. Alec's eyes met mine briefly, watching me like he was questioning if I was really there or not. Then he turned and left.

Felix's growls came into my ears as I went through round three on Soul Calibur II with him. He had all of the Soul Calibur games, along with the Mortal Kombat collections, but I told him this was my favorite game. He challenged me, sizing up my skills. He was playing as Yoshimitsu and I Talim, whom I always chose. The tiniest bit of my lip was snagged between my teeth as I attacked twice more, K.O.'ing him. I jumped up off the couch in victory.

"Yeah!" I exclaimed. "See, I told you."

"You girls shouldn't know how to play these video games," he grumbled, pressing Start. "Again."

I laughed, a real laugh, for the first time in a while. I hadn't played video games since that day on the tour bus, and it was bringing forth all those memories, but I tried to keep them at bay, along with the sad tug in my heart. That day on the tour bus had been exciting, happy. David yelling at Travis for eating his Doritos. Travis apologizing, even though he would definitely eat them again.

 _I'll get out of here. Some day. Eventually. I will._

I sighed quietly as I picked the same character, and Felix picked Voldo. He was the creepiest character with the way he could bend and move. It freaked me out.

"You all right, little woman?" Felix asked with a cat-like grin. "Nervous this time?"

"No," I answered with a smile, shaking my head, though I've never been any good at hiding my emotions. No matter how hard I tried, I think my face always gave me away. He frowned, clearly seeing just that.

"What is it?" he asked seriously. "Tonight?"

"No," I answered dismissively, looking at the screen. "Let's just play."

Felix looked behind him, then at me again before leaning close to me. The close proximity made me turn my head and lean a ways back in confusion.

"It's okay. I'm going hunting tomorrow. He's going with us," he answered casually, but his eyes held a message. It took me a minute to figure out what he meant. He was giving me an update on David via code. Thankfulness washed through me, and I nodded. Then the image of David drinking from a human came into my mind and I felt sick. I also felt immensely terrible for him. If I could, I would have gotten him animal blood.

Golden eyes flashed through my mind and I thought of Heidi's friend, the former Volturi woman. If she fed on them, couldn't David too?

I decided not to ask Felix with Heidi just a floor below, and thanked him instead, looking at the TV again.

He patted my head sympathetically and we continued our on-screen brawl.

"I smelled that lasagna, you know," he added a moment later. I froze, hoping he wouldn't punish Ray. It wasn't his fault.

"Oh," I said.

"You're back on tomorrow."

I nodded.

"Don't hurt him," I said, the words coming out close to a command. I looked at Felix. He looked at me, bewildered, and put a hand on his chest.

"Little woman," he said, feigning hurt. "What kind of person do you think I am?"

"I'm serious," I whispered, although it was a bit funny. He just shook his head, giving me my answer, and I visibly relaxed.

"Thank you."

" _What?!_ " Felix bellowed so loud that the TV shook a little and hurt my left ear. I merely laughed at it, even though it should have scared me.

"I win, again," I declared, tossing the controller next to me. Mind-numbing video games worked wonders for my thoughts, and I was glad for them at this moment. I felt like a normal nineteen year old instead of a nineteen year old prisoner. I got up off the couch and stretched. How long were we playing?

"Where in the hell did you find all this time to do that, little woman?" he exclaimed, his voice the same volume. "This is unfair!"

"Well, when you grow up with boys, you kind of have no choice," I said. "How is that unfair?"

"You didn't tell me you kicked ass at it!"

"I told you it was my favorite game," I defended with a chuckle. He just grumbled to himself and dropped the controller, shattering it into pieces in the process. He closed his eyes and exhaled.

"Fuck," he groaned. "That was limited edition."

"Felix, enough," Alec called in a bored voice from the door. My head snapped toward it on its own accord, and I hoped he didn't notice. Of course he noticed. Vampires don't miss anything.

"It's not my fault, Aly," Felix said, grinning at the nickname. "She beat my ass. Fourteen times."

"How many times have I asked you not to call me Aly?" Alec deadpanned, his palm open at Felix as I made my way over to him, and I wasn't sure why. Didn't he come in here for a reason? What time was it? I forced myself to stand at a distance as the cellular electric dance going on inside my body begged me to get closer. I pressed my lips together to hide the smile that wanted to come up at the name Felix gave him. I watched Felix hold his hands up in surrender while becoming a white and black blur as he flipped off the couch. He brushed imaginary dust off his Volturi coat, facing us.

"After this whole mess is over, I call a rematch," he challenged with a grin, pointing a finger at me.

"Good luck," I deadpanned sarcastically as he narrowed his eyes at me. I cracked a smile, pressing my lips together to stop myself from laughing.

"Heidi is asking for you," Alec cut in as if we hadn't said anything, and my heart sped up at his words. It was time. This was it. Oh, god. I sucked in a breath and nodded, making my way to her a floor below. Alec didn't follow me, and neither did Felix. All the nerves and feelings that the video games blocked out came surfacing back up as I went down the stairs. I thought about how short that dress was and what Heidi would do to my face and how Alec would react...

I asked again why I was chosen for this. With my heart thudding in my chest, Heidi's door opened before I finished my first knock, and she had a cat-like smile on her face. Oh, god help me. I stepped in and she pointed to the same vanity bench, where I sat, and I let her work, closing my eyes half the time and bidding my heart to stop thudding the way it was.

"What time is it?" I asked nervously as she dusted eyeshadow on my eyes. For these twenty minutes, my heart hadn't calmed once. She sighed, and I could practically see her shaking her head at me.

"It's almost seven," she told me carelessly. "And I'm almost done, so you won't have to _suffer_ much longer. Open."

I opened my eyes and met hers, a breathtaking grin breaking across her face.

"Excellent," she breathed, and I wondered just how bad it was. I mean, she spent twenty minutes doing this. It felt like she was putting so many things on my face, yet I felt hardly anything. I could still feel my own skin...but still.

She lastly painted a color on my lips, which I recognized as some sort of nude-pink-berry. Oh, this was definitely liquid lipstick. I could feel it. I wanted to sigh; this made me miss doing my own makeup before shows.

After a final blot, she took the braids out of my hair and began to assemble it into what felt like a bun at the back of my head. It felt a little loose as she framed pieces of my hair around my face and let them fall. She then picked up a heavily expensive-looking curling iron and wrapped the fallen pieces for mere seconds. She continued to prim, place and pin things until she was finally done and looked satisfied with her work. She looked over my face, smiling to herself.

"Take a look," she insisted. Taking a deep breath, I slowly swiveled around on the bench, closing my eyes halfway. I sat there for a moment before opening one eye slowly and then the other at the girl in the mirror.

Who, dare I say, looked like a masterpiece.

I gasped at her beauty, which was no doubt made classic and not the heavy eyes I was expecting. She glowed, her skin a mix of a light olive and porcelain with seemingly no perfections. There was no blush on her cheeks, because she didn't need it. The lightest of contours shaded the hollows of her cheeks, making her face more defined, and something at the tops of her cheeks glowed in the light, almost like Alec's skin did in the sun. Her lips were painted that nude-pink-berry, although not enough to overwhelm the shape of them. They seemed fuller and more beautiful in color, and when her eyes met mine, I realized the girl was me.

Her eyes weren't made heavy at all. In fact, they were made up softly into some sort of classic look, gold dusting the lids while a soft brown deepened the crease. A simple, thin line of eyeliner ran across her lids and shortly flicked out at the end, making them seem more open, along with the frame of black lashes that fanned out. Gone were the purple shadows under her eyes, expertly covered up like they didn't exist. The bright lights of the vanity mirror revealed the hidden red tint in her brown, wavy hair, which was held back in some sort of loose, messy looking bun as tendrils of loosened hair framed her face. Even though it appeared messy, it somehow fit with the entire look. **(A/N: The picture for the hair is in my profile)**

I looked beautiful. I looked alive, and for once in my entire life, I couldn't stop gaping at myself.

As I did, I was thrown into memories of the bewildering dream I had weeks ago. The girl with the crimson eyes and impossibly beautiful face.

My immortal dream.

I saw the girl's face fall, and even in that state, it came out beautiful. What had Heidi done to me?

A low whistle from across the room broke me out of my reverie, and I snapped my head toward the sound. Standing at the now closed door was Demetri, who was looking appreciatively at Heidi's work, his brow arched.

"Now _that_...is something I'm even having a hard time resisting," he said, giving me a charming grin. Heidi scoffed.

"She isn't even dressed yet," she said, placing her cold hand on my back. I stood as she ushered me to the door, and I barely listened to her tell me to go get it. I was too busy trying to absorb the reflection I just saw. I had never looked so immaculate, and I was both curious and terrified of Alec's reaction. I plucked the dress out of my closet, warily removed the little knife from underneath the bed, hid it in the dress, and went straight back to Heidi's room, taking deep breaths.

 _Come on, you can do this. You only have to wear it once, calm down. One time, and it's over. This is just for tonight, for a few minutes. Relax._

I seemed to convince myself a little bit about not having to wear it long.

Until Heidi dangled a matching bra and pair of panties in my face.

"You forgot these," she said as if I would accept without a fuss. I gaped at the pieces of fabric dangling from her hands. They matched the dress, but they were all lacy, and just like that, the nerves were back. She raised a brow at me.

"Well, get moving, girl," she prompted, and I reluctantly took the pieces from her hands and went behind the changing wall. Demetri apparently left when I did, so he wasn't in here.

When the dress slid over my body, it felt like a glove. It fit perfectly and felt light. I shoved the new undergarments on without trying to think about it, and looked down at myself. From this angle, I actually didn't look half bad. Lastly, I strapped the knife to my right thigh, high enough so that it wouldn't be seen, and I was glad when the dress smoothly fell over it. There was apparently a little more length to it when it was on the body; it fell nearly to the middle of my thighs and not right after my butt like I imagined. Slowly, some of my nerves went away from these things and I stepped out from behind the wall to slip the heels on.

I looked up at Heidi, who was gazing over my body like it was her best work. She was still smiling proudly to herself with her hands on her hips, and met my eyes.

"I do believe I have outdone myself," she boasted, and beckoned me with her finger to stand in the full length mirror. I sucked in a breath and followed her, stopping short when I gazed upon myself.

Oh. God.

I looked...

My legs looked longer with the heels and the length of the dress, and the dark crimson seemed to illuminate my skin with a somewhat paler appearance, although not in a bad way. The dress fit like a glove, accentuating all the right places and the obvious fact that I was in shape. I looked like, dare I say it, some sort of model. It was a complete 180 from who I truly was, and I couldn't help but feel beautiful in this form, but totally out of place from what the appearance might tell. It practically screamed, "I go out like this all the time, and I'm ready to have a good time."

Sadly, it also screamed vampire bait.

I sighed, and I wasn't sure what for; not fitting into this appearance or being vampire bait.

"You look phenomenal," Heidi commented, her hands clasped in front of her. "Don't you like it?"

"It's just, um," I fumbled for words. "It's not me."

"It's you tonight, honey," she said gently. "You're going to play this part perfectly. Now, the boys are waiting. I can hear them outside." She rolled her eyes and walked away from the mirror. I turned, seeing her pluck a red peacoat off of her chair, and immediately wanted to put that thing around me. I met her in the middle as she handed it to me.

"It will be a little cold tonight," she informed me, and I gratefully held onto that coat like a lifeline. She rolled her eyes and led me to the door.

"You'll be fine," she said as if reading my mind. "Don't be nervous. It's only for a little while."

She patted me on the bottom, which came out more like a smack, as the door opened, and I looked back at her in surprise, not realizing I'd stepped out of the room.

I didn't realize they'd all been talking outside the room until it ceased and I heard absolute silence.

"You're going to have a hard time keeping this one away from her," Heidi said smugly, and I reluctantly turned my head toward the silenced boys, my cheeks ablaze, my heart pounding.

I wished I had put the coat on before I was plunged into this.

Felix and Demetri whistled while looking me over, their eyes borderline hungry.

"Damn," Felix said.

"You're telling me," Demetri replied, a cheshire grin creeping onto his face. He lifted my hand into his and planted a kiss on it once again. "Absolutely breathtaking. Remind me to thank Heidi later." He slid his eyes to her suggestively, and I heard the door close behind me.

I reluctantly moved my eyes to Alec, the warm, electrifying pull coming into effect right as I did.

If Felix and Demetri looked hungry, then Alec was absolutely famished.

His eyes roamed all over me, and that enough told me what I was wondering all this time. The look in his eyes screamed lust and appreciation, and most of all, that hunger. They moved over my neck, my chest, my middle, my legs, my feet, and all the way back up. I couldn't help that my own eyes roamed over him as well. A black fitted sweater, similar to the one he wore this afternoon, another pair of dark wash jeans, and an expensive-looking pair of Nikes on his feet made me suppress the groan that wanted to come out of my mouth. He looked better than me. Our eyes met at the same time, and I was shocked when they visibly darkened; they were nearly black, just like his sweater. He smirked at me, and I felt my heart skip a beat. Seeing him in normal clothes was doing things to my brain, and I felt half ashamed at the things that came into my mind.

"How does she look, Alec?" Demetri asked, watching Alec expectantly. Felix nudged Demetri's elbow rather hard, and it came out as a solid thud. My cheeks flushed even more as I anticipated Alec's answer. Even if he didn't say anything, I would be happy. All of the attention I was getting right now wasn't suited for me, and I begged them in my mind to look away.

"Approachable," Alec finally answered, pursing his lips. Then he smirked. "Sexy."

Now I really wished I could look away. I was sure that even my ears and neck were flushed pink by now, and I looked anywhere but at Alec, having no words to say to any of them.

"Well, you can both finish eye-fucking each other later," Demetri said seriously. "We have to get moving. I have his scent, and I want to keep it while it's still fresh."

 _Thank you, Demetri. You're a saint._

I decided to break the ice and show that I had at least thawed out a bit from my shock, even though the electricity running through my veins screamed at me to stay plastered to Alec's side, and my heart thrummed a million times a minute. I looked over Felix and Demetri's clothes; Felix's sweater was fancier than Alec's, like one you would buy out of a men's magazine, and Demetri was still clad in his Volturi attire, which confused me.

"How come you're wearing a sweater and you aren't?" I asked them confusedly.

"There's no need, love. I'll be hiding, while your right hand men escort you like you said," Demetri answered lightly with a smirk. "Any further questions will be answered in the vehicle, so let's move. Come along now."

All business now, he strode forward in front of us, leading the way while Felix followed suit, wiggling his eyebrows at me. I was about to do the same thing until the coat was out of my hands in an instant. Bewildered, I looked left, right, down, and finally behind me, where Alec was holding the coat open for me to put on.

"You will get cold," he told me, smiling, but something told me it was for his own benefit. If I was covered up, he wouldn't have to be distracted. Sliding my eyes to the coat, I slipped my arms in, goosebumps raising on my skin when his fingers brushed the skin of my neck. I didn't know if it was on accident or purpose, but it made my stomach flip and the current intensify. Then his lips were at my ear.

"Do us both a favor and keep it on, will you?" he said lowly as I tried to hide my shiver. I think it halfway worked, but I mutely nodded and put my hands in the pockets as a comfort mechanism. I immediately felt less exposed and was able to walk down the stairs more comfortably with Alec in tow.

"He's following her scent," Demetri reported as Alec gunned the car down the road. Felix and Demetri were in the back, and I was what I would call forced to sit in the front, because Felix had the door open for me and winked when I got to the garage. Now, I was looking out my window, trying to not pay attention to the dazzling boy driving; I think it was working rather well, considering my thoughts.

 _We're halfway there, just calm down._

 _He's not even going to get close to you._

 _This will only take five minutes. Right?_

 _Alec, why do you have to look so darn handsome in normal clothes?_

 _That black sweater really is..._

 _The way his muscles look, just..._

 _They'll just escort me. We act like we're walking to the club, Demetri comes in and saves the day, and we're done._

 _Sleep is closer than I think, then._

 _Possibly nothing could go wrong tonight._

A sudden cold, marble hand on my knee broke me out of my thoughts, and the way my body suddenly warmed over and slowly calmed down told me whose it was. I looked away from the window to its owner, the spark in my stomach igniting and warmth rushing to my knee. It felt wonderful, and I didn't want his hand to move.

"Your leg bouncing is unsettling. Please," Alec said politely, along with his smile. The sun had already set, so I wasn't able to see what his eyes might say. His hand lingered longer than I expected before it was gone, leaving the spot cooler. I nodded once, barely uttering an apology as I turned back to the window.

"I can smell him," Felix said lowly, and I pulled the coat tighter around me, trying not to listen to them. His words made my heart beat just a tiny bit faster, and I didn't know why. How smart was this vampire? What if he was smarter than all of us? Why did he even want me? There were millions of humans in the town square, so why was he lingering around the castle? It made no sense.

The car came to a stop, and focusing on what was outside, I saw the club in view. It was the same club where I had my first performance here. It was the first place I laid eyes on Alec, and the memories of that night brought me nostalgia and a want for comfort. I wanted to go back to the castle, find David, and hold onto him. I forced back threatening tears and brought myself back to this moment. This wouldn't take long, and I could cry about it later.

"Ready, little woman?" Felix asked from the backseat, and I could have laughed at my own response.

"No."

I opened the door anyway, blowing out a breath as I moved to get out. Alec's hand was there, then, offering to help me out. I looked at him briefly, taking hold of his icy hand, which pulled me out smoothly and quicker than I could have gotten out myself. First, I was sitting and then I was standing inches away from him, the car door closing behind me. Flattered and ignited once again by his close proximity and his hand in mine, I met his eyes, which I could see clearer now. They weren't the red I was expecting. His eyes were covered by dark blue contacts, and that's just what they were. Blue. Not the purple that usually occurred. I wondered then if he got a better pair of contacts, or if his eyes perhaps weren't crimson underneath. Did that mean he was...

"Thank you," I uttered out, enchanted as Heidi put it, by the color of his eyes and how normal they made him look. More human. They were beautiful on him, even if they were fake. They fit him so well, and I couldn't help but wonder if blue was his human eye color.

 _Focus! There's no time for that._

I pulled my hand out of his, listening to my conscience and shoved my hand back into the pocket. Felix motioned us with his head to get moving. He looked as serious as Demetri, whom I now noticed was gone.

"Demetri's on it," Felix said lowly, and Alec nodded at him. We began our casual walk to the club, and somehow I ended up being flanked by the two boys. Alec to my left, Felix to my right. I mentally thanked Heidi for the coat around my body, as she'd been right; it was quite chilly. There was a slight wind, and by the feel of the air, I guestimated a calculation of about fifty or so degrees. My legs were instantly becoming cold, but the rest of me was tucked safely inside this coat.

I looked at the club not far away from us, the colorful lights beaming out of it into the sky, and the heavy, loud bass of whatever song was playing vibrating the place. I tried not to think of that night as we approached closer, and Alec's close proximity. I visibly made sure I wasn't getting closer to him as we walked, and put an equal distance between all three of us.

"You guys want to get a bite to eat after this?" Felix asked hopefully, and me, being very momentarily confused at his human sentence, furrowed my brows as I noticed a couple walking past us. Oh, right.

The girl was half a foot shorter than the man, who appeared about as muscled as Alec, if only a little. The man had brown styled hair, while the girl's was straight jet black. He held her possessively against his side, his arm looking a little too tight. For a moment, I thought they looked familiar, but I dismissed it as I answered.

"Definitely," I answered humorously. "You get to pick."

"Anything is fine with me," Alec answered casually, shrugging for effect. Why was his voice so perfect?

"Burgers it is!" Felix exclaimed, earning a stifled laugh from me. We continued to walk, passing the last shop before the area turned into the exclusive property of the club, and Felix halted, as did Alec. Confused, I stopped a step ahead of them, looking back at them. They looked at each other, sharing a message I couldn't read.

"Damn it," Felix whispered. Alec growled, closing his eyes tightly. He shook his head. What was going on?

"What's wrong?" I asked confusedly, warily. Neither one of them answered me; they looked off in the distance, somewhere I couldn't see, and then the wheels began to turn in my head.

Something was wrong. Something had changed.

"Guys," I called lightly to them, warily moving toward Alec. "Felix, did you forget your I.D.?" I asked as more people passed us, and he looked at me with hard eyes and nodded.

"Yeah. Something like that," Felix answered, patting his pockets for effect. "I lost it. We'll have to go back and get it." He gave me a look with his eyes, and I knew what he meant.

Demetri couldn't find the vampire. He lost him.

He wasn't here.

"I'll take her," Alec said, looking at me with guarded eyes. Felix answered his phone, standing closer to Alec as he spoke to who I assumed was Demetri.

"He lost him. He ran away," Felix muttered to Alec. "He's trying to find him, but he's running in circles. We'll have to retrace."

He wanted to go back? I would have to do this again while the vampire is out there on the loose? He could be anywhere by now, and if we were to go back, who says something wouldn't happen then? That vampire was smart like I feared, and I didn't want him to be anywhere near me anymore, or anywhere around here. The boys wanted to get him so bad, and seeing the looks on their faces, Alec clearly angered and Felix disappointed, I wanted to think of a way to help. What could I do?

The bass thudded in my ears from the club, and the memories of that night freely came into my mind. The night when I locked eyes with Alec while I was up on stage...

An idea struck, then. A spark in the dark of this dead end.

I looked back quickly at the club, then at the vampires in front of me.

"He knew it wasn't her. I'm telling you, we don't have time to do this again. He will know it now," Felix said sharply, and I assumed the two were arguing. I didn't know how far away this vampire was, but I didn't want him to get away now.

"I have an idea," I said clearly, looking into both of their eyes as I was sure this would work. "I know how to get him back here."

"You aren't doing anything," Alec clipped at me, taking hold of my arm. He moved us off of the curb while Felix followed. We huddled together in a parallel parking space.

"We can't stay here. Whatever your idea is, we won't have time," Felix told me distractedly as he was in thought with himself.

"Do you want him or not?" I asked both of them pointedly, wrenching my arm out of Alec's grip. This was the first time I was wanting to use this to their benefit, and I knew how bad they wanted to get this guy. Although I inwardly cringed at the fact that they would kill him, helping them was my main focus. "I don't want him around me just as much as you do. If you'll listen to me for one minute, I can get him back here so we can be done with this."

Alec studied me dubiously, narrowing his eyes. I could see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to uncover what I had going through my mind. Felix seemed mildly interested and curious as to what it was, so he motioned with his hand for me to get on with it. I took a deep breath and looked them both in their blue and purple contacted eyes respectively.

"If I sing in there, he could come back and you guys can get rid of him," I explained carefully. "I know there's a stage in there. I can get them to let me do it. I'll put on a show and you guys can go after him. It's the only chance we have."

"What makes you think we'll allow you to do that?" Alec asked accusingly. "You aren't going to be left alone in there."

"Alec..." Felix said carefully, thinking, holding up his hand. "She's got a point. We can't get him if we don't go through with this. He will know our every motive if we make a plan like this again. He knows it now, and he will know. There will be no way he would venture back to the castle, and there's a chance he would make a scene if you went out with her again." He placed his hand on Alec's shoulder, and Felix's choice of wording made my stomach flip. _"Went out with her again."_

 _Yeah, because Alec would take me out._

Alec watched me, not paying any attention to Felix. He searched my eyes just as I searched his. I could see him asking a lot of things. _What kind of idea is this? Great job with leading us up to this point, human. I'm definitely never letting you say anything about our outages ever again._

His eyes looked at me in that way again, as if he was questioning whether I was really standing here or not. He stared hard at me, and I fought the urge to take his hand to show him I really was there. I waited for his answer with bated breath, hoping he would allow me this one thing. I was offering to use my gift for the first time, and I knew he would either not let me because of that or allow me because it would get him the vampire.

"We can't be certain it will work. Your plan has one flaw," he told me, and I melted at the sound of this tone. He was pointedly teasing me, practically mocking me for what I said about their plan. For some reason, it flared something in me, challenged me. I think he wanted to smirk at me, but there was definitely no time to play.

"What's that?" I asked back boldly.

"Your singing voice would call of us to you. It's a lost cause if we are unable to concentrate and fulfill our duty effectively," he answered seriously, but I could see the spark in his eyes. He was enjoying this cat and mouse game too much. He was right, however. I lowered my head, rubbing the back of my neck as I considered that. I stared at the ground below me. With my singing, they wouldn't...

My eyes fell on Alec's hands.

I snapped my head up, my cheeks burning, my eyes wide.

I bravely lifted his wrist in my hand and looked at both of them.

"Oh, yeah you can," I said, a wide smile forming across my face. "Here's your antidote."

Felix looked at Alec warily, though he was clearly amused by our conversation. My eyes locked with Alec's as I savored the physical contact with him again. The cold weather and its wind didn't exist as of now. I was buzzing with the warm, cellular dance inside of me as Alec and I just stared at each other. I was much too dazed to tell if he was amused like Felix or not.

"Can you do it?" he asked. "You can eliminate our hearing and we can search for his scent. Alec."

He removed my hand from his wrist, his face blank now, and nodded at Felix.

"Of course I can do it," he said smoothly, slipping his hand into mine as he made his way toward the club. Confused by his sudden change in moods again, I followed him, magnetized by the warmth flowing through me. As I peeked up at his profile, I realized that I would follow him anywhere. I trusted him completely, and I trusted him to protect me.

God, what is happening to me?

"It's karaoke night," Felix said almost excitedly. "Perfect."

I smiled a little at that; of course Felix would know if it's karaoke night or not.

I snapped my eyes forward as we approached the entrance, where Alec spoke in smooth Italian to the bouncer. The bald, muscled man nodded once, fear evident in his eyes, and stiffly opened the rope for us. His brown eyes landed on mine, and I wondered what Alec said to him. I don't think I want to know. Alec's arm came around my waist as we weaved through crowds of people. The feeling was heavenly, my heart thumping a million times a minute. He pulled me tight against his body, and my whole body became a live wire as it enjoyed the sensation. I automatically put my arms around his middle, leaning into him. I wasn't sure if he accepted this, but he certainly didn't push me away at all.

The club wasn't as full as I expected it to be, but there was still enough people to fill it halfway. The bass was louder and heavier than ever in my ears as some Kesha song played from the stage. It vibrated through my body, and the moving colorful lights almost made me a lost wanderer. The whole club smelled like various perfumes and alcohol, and I sneakily inhaled Alec's scent into my nose. I hid my shudder at its deliciousness and tried to focus on where we were going. Felix stopped us at the bar, and I remembered it immediately. Kelly and Robert sat here while we performed, where they proceeded to give us our next gig in town square.

Alec's arm disappeared from around me, and I quickly did the same, trying to seem like I was clear in my head. I moved a few steps away from him, forcing myself to be focused. This was about getting the vampire at hand, not snuggling into Alec. The club itself was warm from all the body heat, and I knew I would no longer need my coat.

Felix leaned forward to yell in my ear, his pine scent surrounding me. It was fresh and slightly cooling.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he said loudly in my ear over the music. I nodded, my eyes automatically going to Alec's. He was watching Felix, and then his eyes slid to me blankly. Something swirled in his eyes, and it looked like caution mixed with amusement. I darted my eyes away.

"Do one for me," he hissed quickly before pulling back, as if he didn't want Alec to hear. He obviously did, though. I cracked a smile and spoke in a normal tone, even though it felt strange to do so.

"I'll try," I said, and then Alec was next, bending down to my ear as well. He didn't have to bend down nearly as far as Felix did. There went my body, stirring up the electricity between us again.

"Stay in here, and don't go anywhere else. Do you understand me?" he said in my ear seriously, and I immediately nodded, the scent of berries completely washing away Felix's. "We will come back for you when it's done. Don't talk to anyone. _Anyone_. Stay up there if you have to."

I swear he said that last part cryptically. And I knew what he meant. He meant boys.

"I understand, Alec," I whispered, my voice lost in the loud sounds of the club. Honestly, I didn't want Alec to leave me alone in this club, but this was my idea, after all. I was the only chance of getting this guy caught, and I forced myself once again to focus on that. He put his hand on my shoulder and pulled back from me, staring at me intently. His fingers brushed along my cheek, and it took all my will power not to lean into it. So warm. So electrifying. So good.

Even if this was just for show, I didn't care. I would pretend with him all the time if it meant he'd keep doing this. His eyes watched me with interest, curiosity and caution, the same way he did earlier today. He didn't look as untrustworthy with himself now, but it was definitely still there.

 _Focus, focus, focus, focus. Remember the situation at hand._

I blinked once, and his touch was gone. I nodded at him and Felix, who put his hand on Alec's shoulder. I knew he was antsy to get out of there, so I simply turned away and made my way through the crowd to the stage. As my eyes fell on it, the excitement of being able to perform took over. I would be doing what I loved once again.

And I was going to take full advantage of it.

I wouldn't have my two boys by my side, but I was elated to be doing this anyhow. I could finally let my emotions out in a healthy way and belt whatever I wanted, however loud I wanted. I was in luck; just as one girl was hopping off the stage, the DJ was asking for another volunteer. Or so I assumed. He was speaking Italian, but the way he was holding up the microphone and speaking in a suggesting tone told me so. I pushed through the last few people, shedding my coat, and went right up to the DJ stand.

"I'll go next," I said loudly, noticing that I didn't have to speak as loud now. The DJ looked at me stunned for a moment, until he gathered some words and spoke into the microphone. I can only assume what he said.

" _Abbiamo stasera un americano nel club. Lasciaci una buona volta, eh?_ " he announced in an upbeat tone, raising his arm. I heard cheers, "yeah"'s, and a few whistles. He leaned toward me, pushing his Fedora back.

"What is your name?" he asked politely. I froze. I couldn't give away my real name; I was reportedly dead, and it took me until now to remember that. I wanted badly to tell him my own name if it meant a chance of being found out, but I decided against it. I was here for one reason only, and it needed to stay that way. There wasn't room for any more problems. Stunned, I blurted out the first name that came to mind.

"Kelly," I said, chasing it with a smile. He searched my face for a moment, slightly narrowing his eyes. I recognized him then as the same guy who introduced us when we performed here. He couldn't have possibly remembered my name, but I could tell he didn't believe me.

" _Questo è Kellyyyyyyy, rinunciare!_ " he hollered in the mic as people clapped again.

He handed me the microphone without another word, and did something on his Macbook. He looked at me again, rubbing his hands together.

"What song you want to sing?" he asked with a grin, and I made my way up the steps onto the stage, tossing my coat to the side. I saw him glance at my chest once, and I ignored it as I thought of so many songs at once. What could I sing? Did I sing for my own emotions or for the crowd's personal preference? I had so much confusion, frustration, and determination surrounding my predicament, from Alec's feelings to Felix's secrets to protecting David and back to my own feelings for Alec. I still missed my brother so deeply and terribly that I wanted to flee this club and find the police. For a while now had I pushed this sadness away, and I knew I wasn't going to get another chance so openly like this for probably a very long time. So, I chose with my emotions.

"You have everything?" I asked, fueled by these emotions and my drive to perform. The excitement and passion overtook me, and I was in my comfort zone.

"Anything you want," he said with a whirling of his head. His eyes seemed to dance with anticipation, and as I imagined what kind of song I wanted to sing, a genre seemed to pick itself out in my mind and present me with a title. I asked him about the title and artist, and he typed it in, confirming that he had it. I stepped out of the heels, not trusting myself to perform in them, and threw the coat over them. He offered to hold them for me, and I thanked him as I traded him my belongings for the mic. I went up the steps to the medium sized stage, the lights no stranger to me up here. As I looked out to the crowd in front of me, it wasn't that big. Most of the club seemed to be in the back enjoying drinks or being way too intimate with each other in the booths. Only a quarter of the people were here to see me do this karaoke.

I said I would put on a show, and that's exactly what I was going to do.

The DJ announced me one more time, the same way he did a month ago, along with the artist of the song, and I was pulled into my reverie. I missed Travis and David by my side, but I would do this for them, too. As the intro began, I was already lost, enjoying the feel of performing again as I nodded my head with the music.

 **(A/N: The song is Paralyzed by Against the Current, and if you don't know who ATC is, GO CHECK THEM OUT. I love them so much, and I feel like this song really pertains to how she's feeling right now. The song's one of my favorites of them, so go ahead and YouTube that if you're curious :D P.S. all reactions you see from the crowd aren't from her gift, as it doesn't work on humans. They're just genuinely surprised and amazed by her voice and are all like AWW YEAAAAH.)**

 _Have you had a million reasons why you wished you'd never seen the truth?_

 _Have you looked into the mirror and the problem's staring back at you?_

 _I can't control myself, don't know who I've been_

 _And who is this monster wearing my skin?_

 _A movie in black and white, when will it end?_

 _'Cause everytime I scream, no one hears me_

The opening didn't stir anyone much until I completely belted the chorus. There were whoops at my sudden pitch change, and people began to clap to the beat and move. I closed my eyes, singing the words as my own thoughts and emotions.

 _It feels like I'm paralyzed_

 _And I can't escape from the prison I'm living in_

 _I'm naming the voices in my head_

 _They keep on telling me to give in_

 _But it's making me stronger_

 _Fight a little longer_

 _I'm gonna bring me back to life_

 _And I won't be paralyzed_

I moved a bit around the stage, jerking my head with the guitar riffs, and I wished I had a guitar in my heads to shred with David.

 _Have you searched for something deeper out of fear that life's a lonely road?_

 _Have you roamed the darkest corners of the Earth until you're just a ghost?_

 _I can't control myself, don't know who I've been_

 _And who is this monster wearing my skin?_

 _A movie in black and white, when will it end?_

 _'Cause every time I scream, no one hears me_

 _It feels like I'm paralyzed_

 _And I can't escape from the prison I'm living in_

 _I'm naming the voices in my head_

 _They keep on telling me to give in_

 _But it's making me stronger_

 _Fight a little longer_

 _I'm gonna bring me back to life_

 _And I won't be paralyzed_

I watched people slowly trickle in from the back, the people in front having edged closer to the stage, clapping with the beat. There were more cheers, and I saw a quarter of the crowd jumping. The rest were dancing. I was singing to the crowd now, nearly headbanging to the song and moving my body by tapping the heel of my foot with the music. I leaned down to the people in the front for the bridge, and gave high fives to the ones who held up their hands. I could feel the song working its magic for me, allowing me to release everything I pent up.

 _I'm not afraid, I can face my demons_

 _Even if they tear me down_

 _If I fall, let me fall_

 _It might take time, but I'll find my own way out_

I stood up and sang softly, closing my eyes before belting the chorus again.

 _It feels like I'm paralyzed_

 _And I can't escape from the prison I'm living in..._

 _It feels like I'm paralyzed_

 _And I can't escape from the prison I'm living in_

 _I'm naming the voices in my head_

 _They keep on telling me to give in_

 _But it's making me stronger_

 _Fight a little longer_

 _I'm gonna bring me back to life_

Almost all of the club was packed in this area now, jumping, dancing, cheering, and clapping. I even saw a few people singing the words with me, and wasn't surprised to see that most of this population were men. I knelt down once more, singing to all of them in my emotions, allowing myself to smile as I felt lighter. I gave more high fives, and was surprised that they were still doing this. A few men tried to hold my hand and kiss it, but I let it last oh so briefly.

 _It feels like I'm paralyzed_

 _Feels like I'm paralyzed_

 _It feels like I'm paralyzed_

 _But it's making me stronger_

 _Fight a little longer_

 _I'm gonna bring me back to life_

 _And I won't be paralyzed_

I stood and rocked to the outro, headbanging one last time on the last beat. I laughed breathlessly as I listened to the roaring whoops, whistles and cheers once more. I basked in the sound, feeling normal and human for the first time in a month. I almost felt like I was back at home. I wiped the sweat off of my temples, knowing I would be short living this glory. I gave the mic back to the DJ, who told me I could help myself to some water at the bar.

"You are really good!" He added with a grin, slapping his palm in mine as well. "I swear I've heard you before somewhere!"

He gave me a look, as if he was expecting me to say he was right. I just shrugged like I didn't know what he was talking about, thanked him for my belongings back, and left. I moved through the crowd, feeling refreshed, light and elated at my newfound release. The buzz was humming through me as I made my way to the bar to wait for Alec and Felix. I had to slap a few hands away from my butt on the way, which made me move faster. As I gulped the water at the bar, my eyes scanned the place, seeing no sign of two very handsome, unusually pale boys. Something else caught my eye, however. I stopped on two people in the dark by the booths, who were standing really close together. As I watched them, I noticed it was the couple who passed us on the way here.

The guy with the styled brown hair was faced towards me, while the girl had her back to me. He was gripping her arms really tight and shaking her, and appeared to be speaking harshly with her. She struggled against him, and then her face jerked to the side, her straight, black hair whipping with it. Her profile gave me a flash of memory, and I recognized her immediately. No, it couldn't be...

I couldn't hear what the man was saying to her, but he seemed to jerk her more as she tried to push him off. I couldn't believe my eyes.

This was the very same girl who started a fight with me hours prior. And she was being abused in this club by who I could only assume was her boyfriend. He looked terribly angry, and compassion flared up in me, just like it had for the girl I was defending. Understanding washed through me as I recalled her reaction to me grabbing her wrist. She was afraid that I was going to grip her like he was doing to her now.

That need to help worked through me, and I didn't care what the girl might say about this. She might try to fight me again, but by God, I was going to help her. Yeah, she tried to kill me, and she let her gang help her, but I never cared about that. I never wanted to fight her. I held no ill feelings towards her, and now more than ever, I was going to help her, even though she'd done me wrong. I quickly made my way over there, distractedly accepting the compliments about my performance on my way there. I dropped my things on a nearby table just as she was screeching at him in Italian the way she did to me and he yelled back as she rubbed her arm. I rushed over and broke in between them.

"What do you think you're doing?" I defended loudly, as the next volunteer was doing their best to sing. "Leave her alone."

The guy glared at me, looking me over as he replied. A spark of interest gleamed in his eye, which made me glare back.

"Get out of my way, bitch," he spat back in his Italian accent. He'd definitely had one or two upon arriving. "This is between me and my girl. Julienne, _tesoro_ , come on."

I turned my body so I could watch them both from the corner of my eye. Julienne, whose name I knew now, looked at me in shock and angry confusion. She held onto her arm, a shadow of a bruise on her jaw from where I punched her. Her nose was cleaned up, but a purple bruise had spread across there, too. I felt remorse as I gazed upon what I did to her and promised myself I would really avoid fights next time. I would walk away. I tried to tell her with my eyes that I was helping her, and I didn't want to fight. That I forgave her, no matter what. I didn't have time to see her reaction as I turned back to her boyfriend.

"You need to leave her alone," I authorized, giving him a stern look. "Leave, now."

"Fuck off," he said, reaching around me to grab Julienne. I guarded her, pushing his arm away. I crossed my arms over my chest, staring him blankly in the eye. He stared back hard at me, his face contorting into anger as he swung his fist at me. I beat him to it as my hand easily grabbed his wrist and I socked him in the nose. He stumbled back in shock, holding his nose as blood trickled down his fingers.

"I mean it. Leave her alone," I said sharply, taking Julienne's hand in mine. I led her to the table where I left my stuff and I was surprised that she followed.

"Why would you do that?" she screeched at me, but she didn't look angry at me at all. Her brown eyes weren't heavily made up as they were this morning. She had long winged eyeliner on her eyes and false lashes, but that was it. She looked even more beautiful that way. Her pretty Italian face grew hard as she waited my answer.

"Because he hit you," I answered her simply. "It's not right."

"So, what, you kick my ass and then you come back and save it?" she asked petulantly, crossing her arms over her chest, which held a revealing top. "I ought to kick your ass right here, right now."

"Julienne," I said her name for the first time, shaking my head. I was grateful that the karaoke music stopped and I could nurse my voice. "I don't care that you fought me. Or tried to kill me, or whatever. I saw you in trouble, and I helped you because I wanted to. I'm not mad at you. I never was. I said I didn't want to fight you, but I did because you initiated it. It was self-defense. What he did to you was much worse. No man ever hits a woman. Nobody deserves that."

Her face softened a little as she looked down, shoving the toe of her pointed boots into the floor. She looked back up at me sharply, rigidly looking me up and down. She moved her tongue around the inside of her cheek and cracked a smile.

" _Grazi_. Thank you," she finally said. "I don't know how to repay you."

"Don't," I said, shaking my head, smiling back. "You don't owe me anything. I hope you're all right. And I'm sorry about your face." I pressed my lips together. She smirked deviously at me.

"You have one hell of a right hook," she said. "Don't worry about me. I'm dumping him now. I never had the courage to, until now."

I nodded, gathering up my things. I remembered Alec and Felix as I glanced around curiously.

"Look, Julienne, I have to go," I told her, meeting her eyes for what I feel like would be the last time. "Be careful, okay?"

She looked at me dubiously for a moment, glancing to her left for a minute and relented.

"No problem," she said dismissively, reaching up to peck both my cheeks. "That's thank you in Italian."

I smiled warmly as I bid her goodbye, and only a few steps in, she called out to me. I turned, backing up on my way.

"Nice voice," she called with a wink. I called out my thanks, and turned to shove my way through people to find Alec and Felix. I didn't see them anywhere, and figured I would go back and wait by the bar. As I cleared into the empty space where the bar was, a face in the mouth of the crowd caught my eye. A face I know I had seen before. I turned my head back, asking myself if I was believing what I was seeing.

And I wasn't.

There in the crowd, I saw his face. The meek, serious face. His hair was dyed a darker brown with a large streak of platinum blonde in the front, and it was all in messy spikes. But I recognized that face. There, staring back at me with wide, shocked, and relieved eyes was Ned.

Ned, the agent that my brothers chose to take us to Rome the next day after our gig. He was here. His mouth opened in shock, like he'd finally found me, and I realized that he _was._ This was no accident, or coincidence, or fate. He knew I was alive. He'd been looking for me.

I had no time to process this any further as I contemplated going toward him, toward safety. Toward home. He began to push through the crowd, yelling at me to stay put, but as he did, I realized I couldn't go. David wasn't with me, and I promised I would get him out, too. If I left with Ned, there was no chance I would get David back out. Ned would just get dragged into that castle too, and I didn't want that.

Devastatingly, so much it crushed me, I turned on my heel and rushed away from him, merging myself into a wave of people. I weaved farther and farther back into the club, feeling my way through darkness that I'd stumbled upon as my arm hit something that gave way under pressure. A door.

I pushed it open and rushed out of it, hoping Ned lost me in there. I mindlessly walked down the dark alley that I found myself in, trying to comprehend the facts running through my mind. First was shock. Second was relief. Ned knew I was alive. He'd been looking for me, and that could only mean that my brother could be, too. They knew I was alive. They hadn't given up on me. My heart sank with devastation as tears trailed down my face. I breathed out a thanks to God for this, for knowing that there was a chance that Travis hadn't given up and was still maybe here himself with Ned, Kelly, even Robert. It killed me to walk out of that club, and had David been with me tonight, I would have made a run for it with him. I would have cried with elation upon seeing Travis, my mom, everyone from my former life.

A _whoosh_ and some rustling broke me out of my reverie, and I froze, looking around. The wind whipped around me again, and I fought a shiver. A bang behind me made me jump, and I slowly turned toward it, wishing I hadn't. Three figures loomed in the dark, the small street light barely any help. I took timid steps back as their outlines disappeared.

"Ned?" I whispered, afraid he'd followed me. Another whoosh came past me as something knocked me to the ground, and I was on my butt, losing my shoes and coat in the process. A deep laugh came from somewhere around me, and I began to slowly back up.

"Don't be afraid," a voice crooned. "We're not going to hurt you, sweetums."

Snickers erupted in the dark as the three figures made themselves known. I was directly beneath another street light in this dark alley, and with its help, I could make out the culprits' faces.

And their eyes.

Red. Blood red. Bright red.

Vampires.

My breath caught.

The front man, in a simple T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, had broad shoulders, half the size of Felix. Only a handful of inches shorter than him. His hair was spiked, light brown, and his face, although beautiful, was sinister. The vampire to his right was blond, and appeared younger, about eighteen. He was more beautiful than his leader, clad in denim attire and Converse. The last one held curly, firey red hair on top of his head, dressed the same as his leader. His shirt was red, too. He couldn't have been more than twenty-one.

I continued to scramble back on my butt, having nothing to throw at them. What could I throw? Nothing would stop them.

"Was that you singing in there, baby girl?" the redhead flirted. "I'd like to sing you a song."

They sauntered toward me, my scrambling useless, but I continued to do it anyway. Upon doing that, I felt something slice into my leg, and it stung. I grimaced, looking down at the fresh torrent of blood that streamed down my leg. Oh, god. I raised my head to the vampires.

"Stop," I told them breathlessly.

"I feel bad for whoever your boyfriend is," the leader tsk-ed, his eyes growing dark upon gazing my cut. His face was hard, wild with thirst. "Seeing your pretty face one last time."

His teeth gleamed in the light, and then he flashed toward me.

My back slammed against something hard, and my neck had an icy cold, marble hard vice around it. I cried out, kicking my legs, and they only hit the vampire's rock hard chest. I could still breathe, but he was making it difficult. He wasn't going to kill me just yet. I could tell. My mind scrambled for ideas, for ways to get out, but I knew none of what Felix taught me would fare against this. I fought for air, gasping quickly as I asked him to let me go.

"Mmm, I dunno, guys. This one looks much too pretty to eat. Look at that face," the leader crooned as they all laughed. "What do you think, Henry?"

"Aw, Liam. Share," the blonde, Henry, said; his boyish chuckle echoed around me as his beautiful, boyish face smirked at me and looked me over. He ran his lips over his teeth, practically begging to jump at my throat.

"I get the first sip," Liam, the leader purred, his voice coming clearer to my face. His wild red eyes swirled in my vision, and I fought harder, my arm reaching down to pull the knife out of its sheath. I slid my hand underneath my dress, grabbing hold of the handle.

My hand was pinned against the wall.

"Oh, baby," the red head whined sarcastically as the strap was torn from my leg. "What's this here? Are you trying to hurt me? What ever have I done to deserve that?"

"Look at those pretty legs," he added. "Too bad I won't ever know what they can do, eh?"

The leader, Liam, laughed out loud, and it hurt my ears. I was beginning to see black spots in my vision, and I mustered up all the oxygen I had left to cry out one more time, if I should die.

" _Alec_!" I screamed out into the night. "Alec..."

I gasped for air again as his ice cold grip became tighter, and he growled loudly at me. My vision was beginning to close on me, and my pants were becoming futile. I couldn't keep doing it any longer. I began to say sorry to David, to Alec, to Travis for not being able to see them again.

"Play time's over," he growled, and it was the last thing I heard before a louder growl, almost like a feral roar, broke through the air, and the vampire's hand was gone from my throat with an awful clashing sound, like rock against rock. My head was thrown to the side. Two solid, cold arms wrapped around my torso as my body fell, and I felt like I was being thrown and flipped in the air. My arms shot out to grab onto something as I sucked in air and coughed forcefully in response, only coming into contact with a hard, cold waist. My feet were on the ground as well, and I didn't know how until I looked up, seeing the profile of my savior.

Alec held me tightly, his arms clamped against my waist, his body shielding me away from the three vampires. His face was purely livid as another growl ripped out of his throat. Suddenly, he moved into a defensive crouch, pushing me back against the wall gently as the vampires slowly came together. Alec's hand stayed planted against my abdomen as I breathed heavily, coughing here and there. They were all practically swirling around me, and I couldn't concentrate on what was happening. I only noticed his hand on my body, and it was the one thing keeping me from losing consciousness.

"Oh, it's lover boy. Come to share a meal with us?" Henry called sarcastically, grinning sadistically in a crouch of his own. The leader, Liam, looked completely annoyed, eyes set on going after Alec. Liam pounced at him, and Alec disappeared only for a second. I slid down the wall slowly, coughing again, as my legs felt like Jell-O with all the adrenaline. The smell of copper and rust assaulted my nose, and my hand found my leg, along with something warm, wet, and sticky. I grimaced.

The loud, horrible, screeching sound of rock against rock sounded again, and I watched as Alec slammed Liam into the wall, the same growl ripping through this throat. I pressed my back against the wall, trying to decipher if this was really happening or not.

" _Don't. Ever. Touch. What's. Mine,"_ Alec ground out lethally, and even I was afraid of his voice. It wasn't his smooth, calm voice. It was scary. " _She is mine_."

Liam chuckled darkly and laid his eyes on me as Henry and the red head stood above me.

"Hey there, beautiful," the red head said, his attempt to reach down for me cut off by a black figure crashing into him, landing far, far away at the end of the alley. The same happened to Henry, but this figure was bigger, and I knew it was Felix.

"Alec, we've got them, get her out of here!" Felix ordered, and I felt sick at the sound of something being ripped. And it wasn't clothing. I slid my eyes closed, not wanting to see anymore, and I felt my body slumping towards the ground. I heard grunts, another clashing sound, a solid thud, and an unmistakable growl before the smoothest, melodic voice was in my ear and my body was being lifted.

"Cheyenne," the voice washed over me like a breeze, calling me with the sweetest sound. "Cheyenne, look at me. Open your eyes, _cara_."

I did what the voice said as my arm went around his neck and I was cradled close to his body. Alec stared at me, a small crease in between his furrowed brows, which I didn't notice until now. His eyes closed briefly as his lips moved too fast for me to hear anything, and he opened them again, revealing coal black irises to me instead of crimson. He buried his nose into my neck and inhaled deeply, almost like a sigh of relief. My heart responded as such. He'd never been this close to me before.

" _Don't you ever do that to me again_ ," he told me slowly, enunciating each word with a growl.

"Okay," I whispered, unable to come up with much else as my mind was racing, trying to play catch up with what just happened. Alec saved me, and he was probably mad at me. Again. I could handle that.

I couldn't handle my body shuddering as I remembered the cold grip of Liam's hand on my neck. It was so cold, and Liam was so close. The thought of dying came through my head, and the glass slicing into my leg, and the look in Liam's eyes as he came toward me. Too many thoughts raced through my head, and all of the images blurred together and I couldn't tell who was what and which was what, and what happened where...

"Cheyenne. Cheyenne. Cheyenne!" Alec's voice called in my ear, but I felt so far away. I felt a breeze, and felt myself being placed in a car. I heard a clicking sound. A door close. Darkness. The hum of an engine. I looked at my surroundings and knew we were in the car, but my body just wouldn't register that.

"She's in shock," a deeper voice sounded. Felix.

"Her body temperature is getting lower," Demetri's charming tenor came next. "Here."

Something closed around my body. Something warm. Something soft. I saw red in my vision. I knew Alec was with me, and his face was in my peripheral, but I couldn't bring myself to look at him.

"Alec, I think you should allow me to hold her," Demetri suggested seriously. "You're not in a state of mind to handle it. She's bleeding."

Oh. Yeah. I'm bleeding. I think.

Alec hissed. I shuddered at the warmth clinging to my body and felt something cold clamped against my leg.

"My leg is cold," I choked out as I shuddered again.

"You cut yourself," Alec told me, his voice sounding strangled. "I'll fix it. We're almost there."

"Aro isn't going to be happy about this," Felix said lowly.

"Not now, Felix," Demetri snapped. "I don't want to talk about it here. He'll be even more furious that she came back injured."

I suddenly snapped out of whatever reverie I was in and my surroundings came to.

Nobody else spoke as the car came to a stop, and I was aware of Alec's arms around me and the coat covering me like a blanket. I looked at him, and his face was hard, his eyes blank. He exited the car with me in tow, and a breeze passed as the lights of the hallway assaulted my vision. The sudden brightness made me close my eyes and adjust to the light. I looked to my left; we were back in the castle, and approaching Alec's door, which he kicked open. What I saw inside was breathtaking. His room was impeccable.

It too, held a huge bed with a red comforter and a very old, classic rug beneath the huge bed poles. His room was shockingly bigger than Heidi's, a huge shelf of books lining the wall by the door, the floor carpeted with rugs. A massive fireplace sat against the left wall, burning brightly, casting a glow in the whole room. On the mantle were little trinkets, ones I couldn't make out. All of this made my heart beat faster, because it was all Alec's, where he dwelled. The room spoke classic, and it breathed Alec. It was so sentimental, and I had no idea.

He dropped me in a chair next to the fireplace, and my coat was gone. The sudden heat of the fire enveloped me, and goosebumps covered my body as another shiver hit. My leg bouncing brought a stinging sensation to the right side of it, and I grimaced as I looked at it. A long, deep cut ran from the beginning of my thigh to a few inches below where my knee began. Blood was smeared around the wound, indicating pressure, and it didn't show many signs of stopping yet.

"Don't move," Alec ordered, and I looked up to watch him retreat into another section of his room. I ducked my head for another shudder, the image of Liam flashing through my mind. Alec came back a full minute later, placing some things on a table between my chair and his. Rubbing alcohol, cotton balls, and bandages. He stood still for a minute.

"Stand up," he told me softly, making my stomach do flips. When the shudder passed, I did what he said, facing him. He raised his arms, and in one fluid motion, his sweater was over his head and...

Oh, god.

Nothing prepared me for what I saw.

Glorious, smooth, icy, perfect, pale skin with a lightly visible six-pack and perfect planes of muscle spanned across his chest. Not one birth mark, freckle, or scar of any kind was visible. It was just smooth. Pale. Untouched. His shoulders were perfectly sculpted as well, and the fluid way they moved as he brought his arms down made me force myself not to make the sound that wanted to come out. I desperately wanted to run my hand across all of this just to see if it was real.

I think I just died.

No, wait. My heart is thudding a thousand times a minute, and I'm snapping my jaw shut because I just audibly gasped. I pressed my lips together in embarrassment, seeing Alec's quirked brow and satisfied smirk. His eyes, black as coal, swirled with amusement.

"See something you like, human?" he asked, holding the sweater out to me. Stupidly confused, I furrowed my brows at the gesture.

"Put this on, you're cold. I don't have time to get you anything else," he told me urgently, his tone completely changing. I took the sweater in my hands, and he turned his back to me, waiting patiently.

A gentleman and able to make me lose my train of thought.

Great.

I nearly groaned at his back, but I forced myself to changed as quickly as I could. Smooth, marble-like chiseled muscle made up his back, and I wanted even more to touch that than his chest. I wonder what would happen if my hands ran down...

My shiver broke me out of those thoughts and I shoved the sweater on, noting how much softer it was than the dress and more comfortable. It was obviously too big for me, but it fell just a bit shorter than the dress, if not almost the same length, and I pushed the sleeves up, plopping down in the chair again.

"You're good," I said quietly, coughing at the discomfort in my throat. I moved my hand over it, trying not to imagine Liam's hand there. Alec sat in the chair in front of me, leaning forward to pull mine closer to him. Our eyes met as it happened, and even though the black irises should have scared me, they didn't. The purple shadows under his eyes concerned me, but I felt just the same; warm, electric, humming through my body, calling me to touch his skin. His eyes flashed at me with hunger, amusement, anger...

He scooped his hand behind my leg and propped it up on his chair, making the undeniable electric warmth flood through me.

He reached for the alcohol and soaked a cotton ball with it. He stared at my leg for a long minute with those same cautious eyes, and slowly lifted his hand over it.

"This may hurt," he said lowly, and gently dabbed over the long cut. The burning, stinging sensation spread through my leg, and it jerked back automatically out of his hand with a painful sound.

"Ow," I whimpered involuntarily, blinking back tears. I never cried over alcohol on a wound, but this cut was deeper than I thought, and it burned so badly. I glanced at Alec, whose face seemed to soften a bit as he gently brought my leg back and blew ever so lightly on it. The stinging was gone immediately, almost like novocaine was applied on sight. I watched him as he did this, solely amazed at the glorious half-naked creature in front of me. I wasn't sure if I was even breathing with this sight, but he hadn't reminded me to breathe yet, so I guess that was a good sign.

Watching him, like this, compared to the scary sounding, growling, blind fury-filled Alec I saw before was shocking. He could crumble a mountain with a simple swing of his fist, and break me just as easily. And here he was, being so utterly careful and gentle as if I was the most breakable doll, cleaning up something that I probably could do myself. He didn't have to do this.

But he was.

Alec, who used to throw water at me, flip the mattress over to get me out of bed, broke my cell phone, threatened to hurt David, and most of all told me he wouldn't be pulling my body out of a ditch if I didn't tell him my whereabouts, was being nice. He was being the exact opposite of who I met when I first arrived.

Heidi was right once again.

"Better?" he asked throatily, and I nodded mutely, enjoying the lack of pain.

He smirked before cleaning the smeared blood around it, the cotton moving ever so smoothly and gently across my skin like a cold, wet caress. The desirable, warm buzzing in my body was satisfied with the physical contact of his hand. His hand moved slowly, expertly around the cut, and I stopped breathing when the hand behind my knee tugged my leg closer. Worst of all, his thumb decided to run itself under my thigh and he remained serious as he gazed over my leg. His eyes, however, ran over my leg in a different way. A way that I preferred not to describe, but I could tell he was having a hard time looking at this cut while it was so fresh. Not just because he was thirsty, either.

"Alec," I said, my voice coming out just above a whisper. He looked up at me leisurely, tossing the nearly red cotton ball into the fireplace without taking his eyes off of me.

I nearly forgot what I was going to say. He was too beautiful with the glow of the fire casting a warm color on his skin.

He waited patiently as he averted his attention to the cotton balls and took another one, soaking it in alcohol.

"Breathe," he finally told me, and I exhaled. I have to stop doing that. He smirked. "Yes?"

"Is it bad?" I asked in a small voice, mostly because I was fighting a cough and I was trying to tear my eyes away from him. He was silent for a moment, cupping the back of my knee in his hand again. I immediately felt relaxed at that.

"Tell me if this hurts again," he reminded me, dabbing over the long cut again. I refrained from making a sound this time, but my leg jerked back uncomfortably. Alec's grip prevented it from escaping him.

"Ow," I barely muttered at the deep, painful sting and he gently blew on it again. As cold as it was, it was the best form of novocaine I ever received.

"You don't need stitches," he told me tonelessly. "But, it is mildly deep. I'm almost done."

I nodded, watching as he perfectly tossed the second cotton ball into the fire and unwrapped a large, square band-aid. He applied it ever so gently, my skin erupting in goosebumps as his fingers lingered over it. Lastly, he wrapped and fastened a thin layer of gauze around my whole knee, his fingers moving like a caress over my knee. When he was finally finished, I stood to leave and made my way to his door, until I was scooped up by surprise.

"What are you doing?" I asked incredulously. He rolled his eyes, opening the door with one hand and effortlessly cradling me with his one arm.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" he asked bluntly. "You can hardly walk."

"I walk fine," I argued in surprise. "It just stings because you used so much alcohol."

He easily shifted me back to both of his arms and glared at me.

"You were practically limping on your way to the door."

"Gee, I wonder why," I said sarcastically, surprised by my bravery. Looking at him, I was once again thrown off by his change in demeanors. One minute he was saving my life and touching me, and now he's arguing with me about something that's not even a big deal.

 _Oh, he saved your life, let him have it._

Except the independent part of me wouldn't.

He rolled his eyes.

"You're acting like a child," he muttered, and I couldn't help but bite back my smile as I looked at him. The look on his face when he was mad, why was it so cute? And why was I wanting to giggle at it now?

 _It's the shock. Gotta be the shock._

 _No. You like him. A lot._

"I'll bring you some Tylenol," he said tonelessly once I was put into bed, the comforter securely covering my bottom half. I nodded, closing my eyes when he left in a blur. All of the shock and adrenaline was long gone, and my body was starting to respond to the aftermath. What felt like seconds later, I was gently woken up by Alec. In his outstretched hand were two long white pills with "Tylenol" printed on them and a glass of water in his other. I took both of them, drank a huge gulp of water, and handed him the glass.

"Thank you," I said quietly as I planted my head on the pillow and shut my eyes again. I heard a click from the lamp and saw the orange glow behind my eyelids turn black as I drifted easily to sleep, not even caring what time it was. I was focused only on the lingering warmth from Alec's touch and the medicine that would soon kick in.

 **ALL RIGHT, SO I STOP HERE CUZ I WAS WRITING AND IT TURNED OUT TO BE JUST TOO LONG, SO I'M SPLITTING THIS UP TOO. Wow, so, intense chapter right? That plan took a twist. Where do you think Ned and Travis and everyone have been all this time? What'd you think of Cheyenne helping Julienne? I told you guys you'd see her again xD also, how romantic! Alec saved her from being killed by a vampire! Looks like Alec doesn't hate her after all :D don't worry, our two characters will only become closer after dis little encounter. anyone ready for Camilla? I am. You're gonna love to hate her. xD I've been waiting to write this chapter for a long time and I'm glad I finally have it done. I hope you guys liked the mission.**

 **Did anyone notice how the DJ was the same guy? You think he'll say anything? You think he heard the news that she "died"? Seems like a major plot hole on my part, doesn't it? Yeah well, hey she's trying to escape, isn't she? xD I think now's about the time to do a POV from maybe Ned or anyone else on the other end of the spectrum. You guys are probably worried about poor ol' Travis. I'll be honest, I have no idea if writing from their POVs will ruin the story or not. If you would like a Ned or Travis POV, please let me know when you review! Maybe he'll search for you in a club too ;D**


End file.
